To say that I was an excellent middle school football player would be a lie. Frankly, I stank. But I kept trying — mostly because scorching summer afternoon practices were followed with a refreshing ice cold carbonated beverage: the Slurpee.

I can remember one day, having been completely consumed with my Slurpee that I hopped in the wrong car, going so far as to buckle my seatbelt! It wasn’t until I heard from the driver, “Well, who are you?” before I realized my embarrassing mistake. I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt, tucked my tail between my legs and dashed back to my actual ride.

I suppose we all have similar mesmerizing Slurpee moments. In fact, I believe there is a pandemic of such infatuation moments happening today. Kids’ eyes are affixed to screens, teens to themselves via the selfie-stick (don’t get me started on that one) and adults to their work. At best, children are quiet, teens look their best and adults are efficient; at worst, children lack time-management, teens mask insecurities and adults neglect their responsibilities. But amidst such duplicity, I’d like to focus on one particular affixation as we prepare for back-to-school: grades.

It’s Cameron Dallas’ character Felix, in the movie Expelled, who says it best about grades, “Straight As, [they’re] the Holy Grail of Academia … catnip for parents” and the “reward for properly raising your kid.” But is it? Should it be? Will high marks keep your child from living in a van down by the river? Hardly.

As a former high school teacher, I’m not implying parents abandon their concern for the report card. All I’m suggesting is that we re-evaluate our obsession or, dare I say, all-consuming search for the “Holy Grail of Academia.” Here’s why: because grades (the end), have increasingly become more valuable than the effort to obtain said grades (the means), which has opened the door for grade inflation in both the high school and college realms.

It’s become a simple business transaction. The academic institution is looked upon favorably due to a booming population of students with high GPAs and parents are satisfied because of their child’s seemingly exceptional performance. Win-win, right? Except that such an emphasis drives students to judge their self-worth based on a letter (rationalizing whatever means necessary, like cheating, to achieve those high marks — the worldly standard by which they are measured.) I’m sorry to say, but straight As might mean nothing more than your child knows how to work the system.

I don’t mean to imply that all students with straight As are system manipulators. It’s this: Straight As or not, stop measuring your student solely by four letters. Understand that not all students are “A” students, and that’s okay. I can’t tell you how many times I watched academically-gifted students “earn” high grades with little effort and be praised, whereas students who busted their butt only achieved a “C” accompanied by little to no recognition (now that’s a tragedy).

And understand that when we receive something, like high letter grades, for something we didn’t work hard to obtain, that’s when entitlement rears its ugly head. So let’s change the paradigm.

Here’s my professional recommendation: Praise your student’s effort and help them understand their identity in Christ, because in all honesty, does anything else really matter? You can personalize Matthew 16:26 to read “And what [does your child] benefit if [they get straight As] but lose [their] soul?”

You know why being a terrible football player didn’t matter to me? Because I knew God had a different path for me — an awesome one and something only He could equip me to begin. So, this school year, let’s go #BeyondTheLetter when evaluating growth.

Look to Galatians 5:22-23 for the standard: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.”

Is your student understanding what it means to love unconditionally? Finding joy during trials? Developing patience? Kind to others? Seeking a deeper understanding of faith? Gentle and exhibiting self-control?

If so, rest assured that no letter grade is going to stop the plans God has for your child — even should they fail a course or two along the way.

CJ Wetzler is the NextGen Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach. Before transitioning into full-time ministry, CJ was a commercial airline captain, and high school leadership and science teacher. For questions or comments, he can be reached at cj@deerfieldfirst.com.