Archives: June 2010...

Editorial...

Who in their right mind would ever want to spend three silent hours in a room filled with a bunch of other people all writing so feverishly that their arms might drop off at any moment?

Unfortunately for loads of you that is your lot this month. A life of seemingly endless study, maybe a bit of worry and constant wishing it was this time next week when the exam will be over and life will be beautiful again.

I don’t want to downplay the importance of exams; they are helpful and prove that you know some stuff. But it is funny that we work so hard to try and cram all that we know into a test that can last just two or three hours. Often, once the exam is over we forget all about the subject we were studying and shudder to think of such things ever again (though I hope this isn’t true of doctors and surgeons).

I guess we all realise that life can’t be summed up in a two hour exercise that asks us to discuss the impact of rationalism on the work of Adorno (A-Level sociology students take note). I mean the skills of arguing and proving a point are great and essential, but is that what life really adds up to? One long trek to prove how much we know and how great we are with certificates and letters after our names?

As a Christian I get a sneaking suspicion that grades aren’t what life is all about. I want to see straight through the categories we place on people and recognise the ability in everyone, whether they have a degree, a BTEC, a GCSE or no qualifications whatsoever. Ultimately I believe that’s how Jesus was. I guess it was the most educated people of the day, the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, who struggled most to understand Jesus’ message. Their training and position within society meant that they had a particular view of themselves and those around them that seemed to value prestige more than compassion.

I’m sure this wasn’t true for all Pharisees of the day, but Jesus highlights that he sees value and potential in the uneducated fishermen, the prostitutes and the poor, not simply the scholars and the politicians. That’s the sort of person that I want to be and the kind of attitude I want to achieve – recognising the best in everyone.

Loads of you will be feeling the pressure of living up to expectations, making sure you get the grades so you can get into college or university. Hopefully most of you will find this a healthy thing and that you can develop your potential through your education and training. However, what I’m getting at is that Jesus is bigger than grades, tests and exams. He knows the truth of who you are and loves it.

Despite all this, we have to do exams otherwise our parents go mental at us. There are, of course other reasons too, like the fact that studying hard and diligently and gaining relevant qualifications can help us to fulfil our God given dreams. Because of this inevitable fact, this months Vox Pops has a few videos to make you smile about exams, so if you are at the end of your tether, don’t go stabbing your books with a biro, check out the suggestions.

Anyway, as a break from your studies, you can have a little wander through the magazine and check out some great articles. Natalie reflects on dealing with stress (Reality), legend Chris Russell takes on the book of Daniel, Craig looks at some of the stuff the church has done in the past 100 years that we can be proud of and Liza looks at the tension between grace and character! Plus, in a special Aware we focus on the World Cup and how supporting England has some strong Biblical parallels to Hosea (it’s true).

Thanks for reading and be sure to email your comments and suggestions to us.

Now, stop wasting time reading this and get on with some study. Good luck with those exams.

Dan
editor@soulsurvivor.com