Purpose

Remaining the Same

“You don’t like yourself, but you do admire yourself. . .You’re afraid that if you change, you’ll lose what makes you special . . ”

These words of insight were spoken by a character on House – a television show that I rarely watch. I know many people probably consider it trite to write about something spoken by a fictional character, but it occurred to me that this is the reason that many people stay committed to a personna even when they’ve rather behave differently. The person that they are, is the person that they are familiar with, and changing involves quite a bit of risk. Not only may you stop liking your new self, others may too.

It’s funny the things that define us. We’re the goofy ones, and so we stay goofy even when we’re in pain. We’re the quiet ones so we stay quiet even when we have words to say. Angry, friendly, beautiful, loud – they all can be masks that we put on in order to ensure that we meet the expectations of people. We’re comfortable with the image we’ve created – and we’re too afraid of the risks to create something too.

The problem with remaining the same is that you’ll never experience anything new – and you’ll never know if there was something you missed.

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Growth

The Bubble

One of the coolest things that I have the opportunity to do is to hang out with business students from California Baptist University every Thursday night. Of course, these gatherings take the form of a marketing class, so what I consider cool, they may consider work, but regardless we tend to have a good time. Additionally, although its my job to teach them, I learn more from them then they could imagine.

In a recent class, there was a discussion regarding a rival university. The topic eventually veered off into whether people who go to a Christian university really experience life or whether once they get into the “real world” they will be ill-prepared for what they find. It mirrored a discussion I had with a student in another class. Is life at a Christian university really life in a bubble? Does the bubble pop upon graduation?

This discussion was brought to mind as I read about a Christian who started a business but then wasn’t sure about the legal ramifications of incorporating his faith into his work. Essentially, both the businessman and the students are wondering the same thing. Does this “Christian-thing” really have application to real life? If so, how?

The only answer I can give is the one I gave to the student who questioned me about the value of a Christian education, and that it is this – the foundation that is being laid will shape who you are and the type of life you lead. The experiences that you have a result are can’t be quantified. Its about the person that you are, not the status that you attain and in the end, that’s all that matters anyway.

There is no such thing as a “Christian life” and a “work life” – there’s only life. The challenge is that when the bubble bursts – whether upon graduation or a thousand other life situations that will change your perspective – do you have faith that will see you through to the end?

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