Cheating.

I am writing to you a free lady. No more school until January for this girl. But in the process of getting here, I had to conquer that mighty college-student foe. Finals. I can so easily say I am thrilled to be finished with them, but for the purposes of this blog I'm not going to elaborate on all of them. Just one. My guitar final.

This semester, as you could assume from my previous paragraph, I took a beginning guitar class. It has been so fun and I've learned so much! But there has been something about the class that has frustrated me throughout the semester. Quizzes/Tests. Normally, we meet twice a week, and after a few weeks, we will have a day of review, and then the next class period will be a test/quiz and a song/scale/something we have to play for the professor. During these quiz days, we'll be in the music room while the teacher goes to a practice room where he will call us out of class and we go play the song for him and he'll write either pass or fail. While he's doing that, we are in the room taking the written portion. 

Mostly it is stuff on the history of the guitar, reading music and tablature, or specific playing techniques. But it's not the tests themselves that has bugged me. I studied and practiced. What's frustrated me is that on every one we've had, people cheat. The teacher leaves the room, and suddenly it's okay to start giving each other all the answers to the questions. It's even made me angry at times.  The worst one was the final. The majority of the class cheated! 

It makes me question:  "why wouldn't they just study? Isn't it the point of this class to know this stuff? " or "why do they think it's okay to do that?" or "Don't they care about being honest?" or "Didn't their mom's and dad's teach them that it's not okay to cheat?" or "what would they do if the teacher catches them..... like with a secret camera or something?" . But all these questions, I've realized, don't get to the root of the problem.

I think deep down there are more problems, deep seeded, more life altering problems that will most likely manifest themselves in other parts of their lives, rather than just a guitar final. That's what makes this worth blogging about. 

First off, there is an unwillingness to strive towards something better. There is a complacency with how things are. I think this manifests itself in spiritual lives as well. Often it's easy as a christian to get stuck in a rut of complacency. We think, "oh, things are going well enough. I'm content. I don't need to work on anything."   When in reality, scripture tells us the opposite. We are to strive for perfection. "Be holy for I am holy". We're aren't to settle for less. Strive for something greater.

What are you reaching complacency about? Is God calling you to "practice" or "study" more?

The other issue I'll address is that there is an unwillingness to acknowledge a lacking and accept the consequences of it. In my guitar class these students weren't willing to take on the test in an honest "I have no clue but I'm willing to accept the consequences" kind of way. Rather, a "I don't know but it's okay. I know what I'm doing is cheating but it's okay because I can get away with it" attitude was dominant during the final.

 There is an unwillingness to accept the consequence of not studying, so even though they knew it's not right (because they'd only attempt it when the teacher is out of the room) they will resort to cheating. Scripture tells us in Ephesians 5 about living in the light and the dark. In this context, the teacher's presence would be the "light" , while his absence would be a "darkness". In the darkness the cheating was safe, but if a teacher were there to see the cheating, it would be exposed. I'm betting most of the cheaters in the room were glad the teacher or "light" was not present  because that would have not allowed them to get by. There would be consequences for not studying or practicing. There would be failure. And being a failure is not okay. I believe this involves our pride as well (something else for a whole different blog).

This is exactly what we can end up doing in our daily lives. Our lacking is a lacking of the knowledge of God and an obedience to Him (a whole 'nother blog coming up about this one) and this leads us to sin. Our sin is made evident in the presence of God's "light" in Jesus Christ. our "cheating" was done in the dark before (But in the dark God still sees) He came, and further exposed our sin, showing us the true "cheaters" we all were and are. But, instead of justly having us fail the test, God did things in a backwards (to our way of thinking) kind of way. Instead he offered free passes. While we don't deserve to pass, He gave us Grace. Crazy.

But some avoid the whole "God thing" because they don't want to deal with their sin.Jesus is avoided because when we see Him in His splendor and greatness, it causes us to be uncomfortable. We can no longer "get by" so easily. It's easier to push our sins under the rug. To meet Jesus is to meet who we really are. Scum. Worse than scum. We see ourselves for the cheaters we are and have to deal with it. But with God, our "tests" are always under surveillance. We may think our "cheating" is going unseen, but only to most of the world. God sees our sin. All of it, whether we want to look it in it's ugly face or not. And there will be judgement whether we choose to face it or not.

BUT to not meet Him is to miss out on true life! He didn't come to this world to condemn but to give life! And that we may have it in the fullest! (John 10:10) While we come face to face with Jesus, yes our sin is exposed, but life with Him opens us up to something different. We no longer need to live trapped in our disgusting lives! With Jesus (and only with Him) we are better than that! We are made new and we are offered a chance to change! To be transformed! It is no longer our sin that defines us but Him living inside us! Since He lives within us (Galatians 2:20)  and he has been given all authority on heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18)We have access to all things through Him! We are no longer slaves to our sin! He loves us regardless of our sins as well. It's crazy to me!

This is probably just a fraction of the things going on underneath, but I have another post in mind that gets deeper into fruit and what that means in our lives in terms of our faith and salvation. But that is for another time, let me just conclude and I will elaborate more in future a future post.

I truly believe that the cheating I saw in my guitar final was a manifestation brought forth by the deeper-seeded issue of not truly understanding and/or not accepting the Gospel of Jesus Christ (or in direct defiance of it). The more and more I see in this world, the more convinced I am that ALL evil and wrong doing is, at the most fundamental level, not having Jesus Christ living inside of us. Some would say I'm stretching it or making it a bigger deal than it really is by including something as seemingly meaningless as a guitar final for a general credit at a small college in Duluth, MN. I don't think it is. Isn't it in those small moment when "no one is looking" that our true nature, our very character and being, is revealed?  God is relevant in everything. Even guitar finals.

This realization brought a change in me though, too. I realized my anger and frustration at the cheating was also not good. My problem was that they were not going to be caught. They weren't going to be punished.They were going to get the same grade as me, who was the "good little girl who studied and didn't cheat". That right there is my ugly selfishness. Instead, I now see their cheating in light of the deeper truth. Instead of anger, I actually feel sorry for them and pray for them. I pray they are transformed by the power of Jesus and respond with obedience, which would manifest itself in honesty and integrity.

Lord may I continue to know you more and may those in my class be revealed your greatness and your truth and respond with loving obedience. May your transforming power work in their lives, speak to them, shine light upon them. May they get a true picture of who they are, but more importantly, who you are. May they experience your forgiveness and respond with actions rooted in the fruits of your spirit. Forgive me of my selfishness and may I be more thankful of the grace you so freely gave to me. Amen.

Wise words.

Most of the time George Carlin is crude at best, but here I think he actually gets it right. 
How are you living?

How would Jesus have us live?

I think Jesus would agree with George on this one.

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but
shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more,
but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and
smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees
but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more
problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little,
drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too
little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our
possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and
hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to
life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but
have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer
space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air,
but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold
more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less
and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small
character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of
two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer,
to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the
stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time
when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going
to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to
you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your
side.

Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you because that is the only
treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember,
to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all
mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep
inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday
that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak
and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind."
~George Carlin

Thanks to my roommate Ingrid for this one :)