Making a mockery of...

So after the deep thoughts of yesterday, I feel the need to lighten up a little, at least to start off with. For some reason, getting this thing has made me think a lot the past few days. In addition to just being tired of school and so therefore letting my mind wander around to whatever it wishes. But at any rate, we'll start with some laughs.

One of the (few) highlights of year one in the graduate program here at UT was grading students web projects. Now, the highlight wasn't the grading part, but being on the lookout for some of the most mind-boggling discoveries about our solar system and universe that you've never heard of. Really, I think that I learned more about what really goes on outside of this little planet reading over those than I did from just exploring science myself in the 22 years before-hand.

For instance, did you know that there are, in fact, billions of stars in the solar system? I had no idea. But it's true. They had sources that cited that very fact (or so they said). Or that scientists use infra-red light to study objects because we can't see visible light? I tried changing all my light-bulbs to the infra-red variety since I have apparently been missing out on a lot of life up until now. A well known quote that was attributed to Dan Quayle from the source I was looking at said, "It's time for the human race to enter the solar system." Reading that sent me in to a panic. So where are we now then? What have I been thinking all these years? How many of my elementary school science teachers lied to me? Ok, so that really didn't happen. But the quote did. And the "factual" statements presented were also made with the intention of getting a good grade on a significant project for the student's astronomy class. Do people these days just not care what type of effort they put in to anything anymore?

Given these few examples (and believe me, there are many, many more), I have to think that people just don't care to put effort in to anything that requires time and personal sacrifice. It's easy to "commit" to doing nothing. It's easy to do things when you don't have to put your face on it. When all you have to turn in is a faceless paper with writing on it. Whoever has the misfortune to grade it will never be able to tell you from your average Joe. So why bother taking the time to make it something that's a respectable representation of who you are as an individual and student?

If we take this approach to life, however, oh man are we going to be embarassed - not because God will sit there and publicly mock us, but because we will feel bad all on our own for having nothing to offer the one that saved us. When we see God and we're giving an account of ourselves, and the best comments that we can come up with are that we know that "billions of stars are in the solar system" and that "we can't see visible light", I think we'll wish that we had put in the time to get our facts right. We need to do everything as if we were doing it for God, whether it be the note to the family that is hurting to committing years of your life in the mission field. Neither of these acts is better than the other, and they both need to be done. It's the manner with which they are done that makes them worthwhile or not.

I guess I figure that in the end my "web project" is going to be my life, and God will be my grader. Will he sit there wondering what was going through my mind to make me waste so much of my talent and ability that the best I can give him is a D-level report with incredibly impressive (wrong) discoveries and endeavors? Or will he say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I hope it's the latter, but if I don't make the effort right now, I won't make the effort later. And by that point, it's all too late.

I don't know if that made any sense to anyone. I guess it's a bit of a stretch, equating web projects with life. It makes sense to me though. For anyone that is in to music or looking for something new to listen to in the rock area, the new album by Skillet entitled "Comatose" is an excellent choice. If you're searching for something more mellow, Mainstay's album "Well Meaning Fiction" is a good recommendation. At any rate, the weekend comes quickly...