A little sleep, a little slumber

A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

and poverty will come upon you like a bandit, and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:33-34

What is the point of school? Seriously, have I ever used algebra at any point in my adult life? I suppose English is somewhat useful, but I've been literate since the second grade. Is high school just a waste of time?

It depends. If you sit in the back of class, daydreaming/sleeping, never studying or doing work, then yes, school might be a complete waste of time. Because you have succeeded in school if you learn how to learn. Moreover, you have really figured out the point of school if you learn to work your tail off.

The Bible, particularly proverbs, is full of practical wisdom. Like this verse, which essentially says "if you're a lazy-butt, poverty will fall on you like a waterfall of rabid ninjas with tetanus nunchukas. They'll beat the snot out of you, rob you of your life and happiness, and it will be your own fault."

Of course poverty is a complex issue, but if you are reading this, then you don't have the excuse of living in a third-world country under an evil dictator without options for education and work. In the developed world, if you work hard, and smart, you have the chance to succeed.

I run my own business, so if work is not done, there is no one to blame but me. If I don't work, we don't eat. If you don't study, you're going to fail your test. You can blame it on your teacher, but the reality is that if you work hard (and smart) you will succeed.

Why do I say work hard and smart. Because if you work your tail off playing world of Warcraft, you gain nothing. If you get a summer job and make $3000 and spend it on sweaters for your girlfriend, you have nothing to show for it. If you only work when your mom nags you, you'll be 30 and living in her basement, and she'll still nag you. Work hard and smart!

D x (H+S W) = NN

Diligence x hard and smart work = no ninjas

"Whatsoever you do, do it as if you were working for the Lord, not for men".

Question? Does God care whether you work hard?

Say I made a robot David. It looks just like me, but it is made of titanium and strong stuff. I gave it super-problem solving skills, it could run crazy fast, lift heavy stuff, and had mad-computational skills. I tell robot David my wishes: "I want you to go help the people you meet today, help old ladies carry groceries. Rescue people from burning buildings. Tutor some kids in math. Go help a construction worker build a house, and when he pays you, feed some hungry people with the money. Go forth, robot David, be awesome, and make the world a better place!"

What if robot David, instead of going forth in awesomeness, lays on the couch with a bag of chips and does absolutely nothing. Would I be ticked off?  Definitely!

What about God, who did the same for us? Should he be upset if with His creations we squander our potential for awesomeness? Should God be brokenhearted if he looks down from heaven and sees nothing but laziness? He won't stop loving us, but neither will he keep the ninja bandits of poverty from teaching us what we failed to learn in school!

So go forth, be awesome!!