It's All Good!

"As long as you're a good person, that's all that matters."

Is that all that matters?

Really?

Bernie Madoff was a swell guy, by all who knew him. Okay, maybe that's an extreme case, but it really drives me crazy when I hear someone say that, whatever you believe in, as long as you're a "good" person, nothing else matters.

If you have faith in a higher power, or a belief in an afterlife, doesn't it then follow that you believe in a certain set of ideals, laws, dogma, or rituals that are meaningful to you? As a Christian, I believe that faith in God's grace and the resurrection of Christ result in salvation, i.e., eternal life in heaven, in communion with my creator. Does that mean it's okay to a be a jerk for the rest of my days on Earth? I don't think so, but I might have a bad day here and there. If you believe in nothing, (atheism, nihilism, humanism, etc.) is being a good person good enough? If you believe in something, wouldn't you like to share it?

I overheard a few people talking on an airplane a few months ago, and a fellow mentioned that he was a Catholic. He asked the young woman seated next to him if she was religious. She replied that she was SBNR (spiritual, but not religious) and his response was an emphatic, "Well, as long as you're a good person, that's all that matters." I was left wondering if she was thankful for his approval of her spiritual way of life, and endorsement of her personal value system. I was also wondering what kind of Catholic would say such a thing. I'll admit, I don't have it all figured out, but I do have an understanding of faith and that if I say I believe something, I must believe that it is true; at least true enough for me to build my life around it. My guess is that some people don't know how to respond when someone asserts their own opposing belief, or even non-belief. I don't think the guy, (or any of us, for that matter) would have enjoyed the rest of the flight had he doomed the entire row to Hell, while praying the rosary. I can't help but wonder if there wasn't a better way for him, and for all of us, to respond when faced with this situation.

It's perfectly fine to be tolerant. I consider myself very tolerant, but can we take tolerance too far?

Maybe we feel we don't know enough to express our beliefs to others, so we come up with answers like, "You're a Hindu? Oh, that's nice. I enjoyed 'Slumdog Millionaire'." "Wiccan? Oh, you must love camping!"
I enjoy the opportunity to share my faith. What amazing love we can show when we tell others about God's love and grace! Sometimes it is hard to put into words, but we can always share what our faith means to us, and we don't need a graduate degree in theology to do that.

Making the Grade

We moved to Iowa over 5 weeks ago; I'm almost half way finished with the Summer Greek program! So far, I've scored an A on each of three exams. I am finding that I am very competitive, and hard on myself when it comes to getting good grades.

It wasn't always that way. During my undergrad years at Florida State University, I was fine with a B, or even a C, depending on the course. I was more interested in playing shows with my band, working at the radio station, or just getting through. It's not that it was difficult, most of the time, I just didn't put forth a whole lot of effort. It came pretty easy to me.
Graduate level coursework is a personal challenge. I know that this is the work that I should be doing, and that it will be difficult. It's a challenge to prove to myself that I'm up to the task. When I missed a couple points on the first week exam, it burned. "I should have known that!", I thought to myself. The same feeling crept up on me after the second and third exam. The letter grade on the paper stared me down. "A MINUS!" It mocked me. I will be more careful next time.

I hypothesize that my recent career in radio advertising made me more competitive. It was every account rep for themselves. The only grade that mattered was the bottom line. The commission statement pulled no punches. You were either first, or last. Close the deal. Get the ink on the paper. That was only part of the reason I left, of course.

My prayer for this week will include asking God to change my heart, to help me to grow to focus on learning rather than being the highest test score, to be thankful for every moment I have to spend in the Word, and to enjoy the process. I am very grateful for this opportunity to grow in knowledge and in my faith, and to teach others about Jesus, helping others to see their place in God's plan.

I think this was an A PLUS blog post.