Education, Success, and What You Have to Show for Your Life

The pressure to succeed in today’s day and age is huge. Most people don’t realize it because it has become the norm, but from the time you’re in kindergarten it’s ingrained in you that you must succeed. Checkmarks, compliments and stickers equal success. As you get older you learn that ‘B’s are nice, but ‘A’s are better. ‘C’s and ‘D’s mean you need to try harder. You’re not good enough. Marks are the measuring stick you’re supposed to live up to. You’re constantly compared to the smart kid, or the stupid kid. Or maybe you are the smart kid, or the stupid kid. Somehow everybody always knows everyone else’s marks. After every evaluation it’s always, “Hey, what did you get?” You compare your marks to see how you measure up to society. It’s a big deal if you get a better mark than the smart kid, and an even bigger deal if you get a worse mark than the stupid kid. And if you don’t feel like sharing your mark with those who ask, people just assume you did horribly and don’t want to tell.

But who says the kid with the 60% didn’t try twice as hard as the kid with the 90%? Some kids are just smarter than others. Some things just come more naturally to others. For some kids, academia just isn’t their thing. And then there are some kids who are absolutely brilliant, but they don’t care enough to try. Others who aren’t as smart do everything to try and understand - ask questions, study for hours, and get a tutor - but they still can’t manage more than a 75%.

So what do the letters A-D or the percentages from 1-100 actually show or mean? It’s not like you can actually give an “‘A’ for effort,” because no one can truly know how much effort you put in or how hard you tried or if you honestly did your absolute best work or not. No one can know but you. So if a 45% truly is your best work, then society says you’re not good enough.

It is sad to see that this is how everyone is evaluated in school. School is the place where you are supposed to learn the important things that will help you through life, yet you’re measured strictly on your grades from the classroom. There’s no B+ for compassion, there’s no A- for loving others, and there’s no A+ for honesty. Math, science, and history marks are seemingly more important than your character.

As soon as you move beyond elementary school, you better know what program you’re taking, at which specific university, for how long, for which career, and all the prerequisites you need to get there. Not only that, but now your marks have to step it up too because now it “actually matters.” You need the best marks so you can get accepted to the best university, and if not then you can “settle” with college. Teachers and guidance counselors constantly remind you that you have to have the highest marks so that you can get into the best schools and make something of your life. They rarely if ever talk about finding your passion in life, or making a difference in the world. You must get into a good college or university. There’s no other option.

College and university aren’t exactly the most affordable options out there. It’s not like teenagers have $80 000 of spare change lying around. Maybe some do thanks to parents and relatives, but if not, then maybe you can’t go to the college or university that you’ve dreamed of. Even scholarships only go so far, and some people just can’t live with that kind of debt. So what about the kid whose dream it is to be a doctor, but their grades just don’t cut it? They’ve worked hard, done their best, and are eager to learn but their grades weren’t good enough to get into the program.

Similarly there’s the kid who has had a 95% average their entire life and has constantly been told of all the wonderful, magnificent careers they could go into - be a doctor, lawyer, you name it. But maybe they don’t want to be a doctor or a lawyer or a “you name it.” Maybe their passion in life is to be a garbage man. Is that wrong? People would tell them that it would be such a waste of a great mind for them to be a garbage man. It’s not exactly a millionaire’s job. And how is that fair to the people who want to be doctors or lawyers but they don’t have the money or grades to get there? Should you be a doctor or a lawyer then - because you can? Or what if someone’s passion in life is to be a housewife. Is that even acceptable anymore?

But society doesn’t tell you to find your passion. Society tells you to graduate from Harvard with a law degree, buy a fancy house and a fancy car, and start a nice little family with a nice retirement saving put away. Then you’ll be successful.

Society shouldn’t be able to define personal success. It shouldn’t be able to tell you whether or not you’re good enough. Yet for most people in today’s day and age it does.

So where did you graduate from? How much money do you make each year? Do you have a three-car garage? What have you got to show for your life?

The Man with the Cardboard Sign

There’s a man at the corner with a cardboard sign.
He looks hot and weary.
The cars just pass him by.
People wonder why he’s there, how he got to that point in his life.
People assume it’s his own fault.
He must have done something wrong. He must have screwed up.
People wonder if he really needs the money, or whether he’ll just waste it on alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes.

But when we see someone in need, should we really be thinking these things?
Do we even have a right to question where our money is going?
Isn’t it enough to just see a need and give?
When did we become so hesitant to give or help, and so quick to stereotype?
Why do we assume he will misuse the money?
If Jesus were giving to a stranger, would He question if he or she really needed the money, or would He smile and give regardless?

Maybe he did use the money for drugs. Maybe he did blow it all on alcohol.
But maybe he didn’t.
Maybe he felt happy, even for a moment, feeling that someone out there genuinely cared about him and his problems.
Maybe you made his day.
Maybe you made his year.
Maybe he was going to use the money for cigarettes, but after seeing the generosity and compassion of so many people he realized there was more to life. He realized he needed to make some changes.
Or maybe he really did need the money to survive - to clothe his kids, or buy his next meal, and you could help him make it through the day by giving him the spare change from your cupholder. With the change you would normally spend on your morning coffee, you could make a difference in someone’s life.

But how do you tell which type of guy this one is? How do you tell if he really needs the money or not, or what he’ll do with it afterward? The fact is you can’t. So do you take a chance and give? Or do you just keep on driving, avoiding eye contact and pretending you didn’t see him?

If you’re so worried about where your money is going, have you ever thought to pray when giving it away? To ask God to use the money to bless that man and bring glory to Himself. To trust God to do the rest once we’ve given a stranger some change. Or do you only think of yourself - justifying not giving with all of the “what ifs.”

But what if you’re wrong? What if you missed out on an incredible opportunity to touch someone’s life and share God’s love? Or what if that man actually starved to death because someone looked at him and judged him and kept on driving?

What if instead of giving money, you took him out for lunch? Or just stopped and listened to his story. Had a conversation with him. Showed that you care. What if you were able to just roll down your window and hand him a twenty with a big smile on your face and say “God bless you” without even hesitating, just naturally seeing a need and trying to meet it.

What if everyone gave unconditionally?

What if you had to stand in his shoes, holding up his cardboard sign, and hearing the verbal abuse from those who just don’t understand?
   
Or what if it was Jesus holding up that cardboard sign? Would you give then, if you knew it was Him? Or would you still drive by and avoid eye contact?

God said that by giving to the least of these, you are giving to Him (Matthew 25:40). However, He also said that by not giving to the least of these, you are choosing not to give to Him (Matthew 25:45).

How can you choose not to give to God after all He’s given you?


So what makes us keep on driving by?



“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” Proverbs 14:31

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:17