Lord I believe, help my unbelief.

"Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Isaiah 30:18-21



Tuesday, November 11, 2008

To Answer Lew's Question....

Most of you know that I'm in school online. Well, for those of you that didn't. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle, right? So what of the other half? My teacher asked me to create a blog for an assignment (it's a computer class), watch a you tube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U) and respond to the following question:

Given the fact that technology information doubles every 2 years, half the information you learn in year 1 of college is outdated by year 3, China and India have huge populations that will need to be employed and that you are training for jobs that don't yet exist,
"What are the traits that you will need to succeed in this world? What will be important for you to know how to do? How can college better prepare you for this new reality?"


So! That is what I'm going to do... only I already have the blog and I've already seen the video... So! On to answering the question:

The traits that I will need to succeed in this world do not depend on technology. They do not depend on whether or not I give money to a fund that supplies laptops to children in impoverished countries. They do not depend on whether or not I gain a degree in a field of my particular interest. You see, there really isn't a preparation for my future in education.... that video even proved it by stating the fact that the education that I received for that degree will be outdated by the time I finish the degree and get a job. It will be nothing but a credential behind a name. The reality of it all, is that the traits that I need to succeed in this world have already been given to me. I have Jesus Christ living inside of me. He is all I need. He is the words of comfort that I will speak to the grandmother who has lost her daughter to addiction again and gained a two beautiful grandsons. He is my financial counselor telling me where to invest my money in and how tithing will bless me. He is my degree. He is my success. He is the answer to the educational gap.

And what of the child who will live in poverty but have access to a computer? And in turn have access to pornography and myspace, to predators and growing up too soon? Do you think that his parents are really there to monitor those things? Dying of aids? Indulge and waste his time playing computer games and messing around in chatrooms! I'm sorry, but what the heck? When did that become a solution? That child needs love and food and shelter. He needs shoes and affection and a place to call home. I GUARANTEE that child needs more than a laptop. That child needs hope.

Because in the end. It will not matter that he didn't know how to make an excel spreadsheet or know about Charles Dickens or how to write a research proposal. It will not matter whether or not he knew that myspace was the eighth largest "country" in the world. It will not matter if he have a degree or if he can send an email.

But I know what will matter.

The condition of my heart will matter. Did I love God? Did I in turn love people? Did I spend hours taking care of the widowed and orphaned or did I spend hours on facebook and gmail? Did I offer them hope? Or did I offer them a band aid for a bullet wound?

That's not to say that you can just say screw it and live under a rock and never grow or change with the times. But! It's just not the end all. And it surely is not the solution.

7 comments:

The Reid Team said...

I hope you submit it just as you wrote it :) I love you!! Rene

erika_glenn.kara said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
erika_glenn.kara said...

freaking A, nicolette. this is the best thing i have ever read, and i probably say this every time i read a blog of yours, but every time it's true. i wish i would wake up every day and realize this. you have just motivated me to drop out of school. haha! just kidding ... sort of.

Lorelei said...

Rockin, Nico, pure rockin.

Unknown said...

I don't believe that your education is outdated by the time you graduate.
I think that's bull-honky. technology changes, but you aren't in school learning 100% about technology, and even if you WERE - you have the base foundation and then you are continually learning to keep up with the times. To be continually learning is not a bad thing- it is an incredibly good thing. Just like in your relationship with Christ. If you spent 4 years learning about him, and then never picked up your Book again - your education would be pretty worthless.
it's all the same. and it's all the same because He designed it.

Luke & Kristin said...

that wasn't Luke.. that was me.. naturally..

nicolettebw said...

I wasn't saying that to be continually learning about technology was a bad thing. I said it's not the solution to the holistic problem that orphans face.