In this fast-paced world, we often treat the end of a semester or an academic program as a mere finish line—a sprint toward getting good grades or a diploma. However, drawing from David Smith and Susan Felch’s Teaching and Christian Imagination, ending well is not just about finishing a task, but about honoring the entire journey. In the first part of their book, these authors invite readers to re-imagine Christian education, considering the journey/pilgrimage metaphor. I understand the importance of Christian education through the lens of this metaphor, as it invites us to see the way we conclude our educational journey as just as important as the way we begin. This metaphor provides three key insights: the importance of approaching education from a circular perspective, seeing the culmination of our journey as a divine gift, and understanding the benefits of cultivating virtues that can make our educational journey end well.
Moving Beyond Linear Achievement
Smith and Felch suggest that traditional education promotes idealization, trapping students in a linear mindset that encourages passivity and stillness. This kind of mindset tends to make students passive followers. It is no surprise we hear phrases such as “you are falling behind,” “just follow your curriculum or course of study,” “you are on track,” “you are stuck in this,” and “try to move on.” (Smith and Felch, 17). Phrases like these not only show students are viewed as passive followers but also dismiss the importance of making students active participants in their educational journey. This is a byproduct of the linear mindset, which downplays the actual learning process in favor of temporary goals like earning a good grade. As a result, students have more difficulty ending well. We should recognize that good grades and diplomas are secondary aspects of our education, and as such, they do not represent the ultimate end goal (Smith and Felch, 41). A non-linear or circular approach to education, instead, allows us to reflect on the highs, lows, and detours we may find in our educational progress, evaluating not only what we have learned but what we have unlearned along the way. The circular mindset not only values the process in a student’s academic life, but allows us to rethink the power of the pauses to reconsider methods and goals.
The Blessing of the Destination
The journey metaphor invites us to reconsider the end or purpose (telos) of education in such a way that allows us to be constantly aware that there are specific blessings in reaching each step toward our final goal. Ending well means taking the time to establish the ‘path we have made by walking,’ which requires time to be established rather than being something ‘ready to be used.’ It is a moment to stand in the presence of God, rather than merely seeking personal fulfillment. In this respect, Smith and Felch tell us:
The starting point or the arrival of a journey does not represent everything: there is blessing in the journey itself. Path is not something ready to be used, but we make it by walking. Path requires time to be established. Learning can be a journey not towards personal fulfillment but “standing towards the presence of God” (Smith and Felch, 25-26).
Our journey matters because it allows us to reach a balance between the starting point and the destination of our educational process. In other words, all small steps in our educational journey are important, since these steps are also part of the process and can be formative. So, even with every pause we may take, there is also an opportunity to question our motives and purpose. The authors write: “To think of education as pilgrimage… [can lead us] to serious soul-searching regarding our motives, methods, and shared sense of purpose” (Smith and Felch, 29). A small step or a pause in our educational journey does not mean we are left behind. If we redirect them, we can make them work toward our goal.
Cultivating Pilgrim Virtues
The journey metaphor can inform our view of Christian education in several regards. It highlights that the sense of destination is a gift given by God. This idea was well known to the Psalmist in Psalm 84, where he acknowledged that enjoying God’s presence in the House of the Lord was his ultimate purpose.
In this respect, cultivating virtues for our educational journey is of high significance because Christian pilgrims do not just finish. They seek virtues that embody the kingdom of God:
Once the student becomes a pilgrim, then the teaching and learning task comes to include seeking those virtues that both embody the kingdom of God and enable godly learning: learning humility and patience in weighting the words of others, seeking justice and loving mercy as new learning is applied, loving one’s neighbor inside and outside the classroom. (Smith and Felch, 46).
As students of the Word, this concept is helpful since it highlights that we are not merely enrolled in an academic program, but we are also engaged in the continuous task of acquiring virtues on our path while we lead toward destination.
In this respect, Smith and Felch mention a series of noteworthy virtues for our educational pilgrimage.
Humility and Patience: these virtues allow us to learn to fight against pride and “weigh the words of others” carefully as our journey concludes. Cf. Smith and Felch, 35, 37, 41, 46.
Justice and Mercy: these virtues allow us to seek how to apply new learning in a way that loves one’s neighbor inside and outside the classroom. Cf. Smith and Felch, 8, 45-46, 52, 82, 84.
Fellowship: this virtue invites us to recognize that we are not alone achievers, but “fellow pilgrims in need of hope and fellowship.” Cf. Smith and Felch, 7, 25, 29-30, 33, 41, 57, 60, 67, 77, 81-82, 84.
Getting Ready for the Next Journey
In Christian education, such as at the seminary, ending well matters because it prompts us to flourish and cultivate Christian virtues. Without a high awareness of our educational process and the community, we cannot experience God’s purposes in their totality. Having a Christian-rooted perspective, such as the journey/pilgrim metaphor, invites us to focus on the acquisition of valuable virtues and skills rather than just facts and information. So, let’s embrace our educational journey in academia because the time we spend in our education is not only worth it but it prepares us for the next season in our lifelong pilgrimage.
*Originally published in Kerux. Calvin Theological Seminary. 05/07/2026. https://kerux.calvinseminary.edu/the-art-of-ending-well-in-christian-education/. All rights reserved by the publisher. Used by permission.