Most of you who know me know that I am a fan of CBC radio; always have been. From the moment I heard my first radio drama I was hooked. CBC does radio very well with informative shows that explore many sides of various issues and sometimes the exploration of the bizarre. I certainly do not agree with everything but it is interesting to hear other thoughts and ideas, to know how others thinking, to understand their perspective of the world.
One of the radio shows that I enjoyed, purely from an entertainment perspective was Stuart McLean's show "The Vinyl Cafe". For any of you who have listen you know that this show showcases some local Canada talent but also chronicles the adventures of Dave, the owner and operator of "The Vinyl Cafe". I enjoyed the show so much that I picked up one of Stuart McLean's books called Stories From The Vinyl Cafe.
The first story is about Dave and his son's guinea pig. Although it is his son's pet Dave has taken responsibility for looking after it. However, it is sick and losing its fur.
Dave finds himself at a specialized vet's office where the vet makes a comment that they do not see many guinea pigs. He feels a bit silly. The vet tells him that it is most likely a tumor and gives Dave an estimate of the cost for the treatment of the animal.; $563.30. He felt an obligation to agree to this but he somehow knew it was wrong. So Dave does what any smart man does, he states he has to talk to his wife and escapes from the vet's office. It turns out that Dave has issues concerning the care of animals but the underlying thing here is that he was being asked to pay $563.30 for the treatment of a pet that cost him $50.Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation where, at that time and place something seems like a good idea even though there is a feeling in the back of your head that it might not be the right thing to do? Of course we have all been there. That is why there is a law in place called "Buyer's Remorse". When a person buys a large ticket item, goes home and then realizes that they can't afford it or they must have been crazy to buy it, they are legally permitted to return the item, no questions asked. There is a short period of time that consumers have to return the item. It is to protect consumers from the pressure of salesmen, but I also suspect it is to protect us from stupid moments like Dave found himself in.
Too often we go through our day in this manner, often not even realizing it. We do something because it is what is expected of us or because someone suggested that we do it. Sometimes we put our brains in neutral and allow the current to take us wherever it pleases. We want to avoid this. We especially want to avoid this in our school year planning. It is the reason Keith and I met yesterday to go over some items and talk about some of the issues we feel need to be addressed in this coming school year. Our children's development is too important to allow ourselves to be guided by the current of popularity.
During this summer season most of the staff are hard at work preparing for the new school year because there is much to be done. We have to insure that we have all the teaching materials in place, that our lesson plans are prepared, that we have personnel for each of the courses, that all those taking part in teaching are trained and prepared to deal with the rigors of school life. Right now there is much investigation and research taking place, much discussion and a great deal of planning. Planning is the key word for our school. There must be well thought out purpose for everything we do. It must be done properly.
We would never want to find ourselves in Dave's situation in our school, where we are doing things that do not make any sense simply because it is what is expected of us. Our school is different. It is different because it is a school that was birthed in faith and continues to exist by faith. The only expectations we want to meet are those of our Lord Jesus Christ because his expectations far exceed any expectations of the world. It is good to know the perspective of teh world to understand why people do what they do but we can never emulate them. We have our measuring rod and his name is Jesus Christ.
There are some lessons we can take out of this for our life. Too often we live as if there is no purpose. We go through our day as if there is no purpose. If we do have a purpose it is often what others have projected on to us. However, there is purpose to our lives when we are living it in relationship with our Father. There is purpose and we need to do it properly. We need to think through our days, our weeks, make plans and stop costing. A purpose-filled life brings with it such satisfaction. We need to learn what it means to live to the glory of God. That should be our determination each day; to live for his glory.
Let's remember poor Dave in the vet's office the next time we start feeling something is not quite right.
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