I am committing this to blog to help me have closure on this issue and to begin to put this nagging question behind me.
I have decided to not pursue a degree beyond the MS degree. I am weary the classes, studying, and the education “game”. Perhaps if I were 20 years younger I would have made a different decision. I started taking classes when I first came to Syracuse University in 1998. At the time I had an associates degree. On average I have been taking 6 credit hours per semester while holding down a full time job. I am 6 credit hours away from the MS degree and plan to complete it in the spring 2007 semester. Much of what I have learned in the past 9 years of school is useful and it certainly has helped me in my career. But, the more I investigate the more I become jaded about the “paper chase”. Over the past several months I have asked many people who I deeply trust to talk with me about this “dream” I had. Of the five people I contacted, three responded, one actually made the time to talk with me and 2 others have had scheduling issues so we haven’t had the opportunity to talk. I am disappointed but not disillusioned. Life goes on and so will I.
Interestingly, it was a scripture that my pastor used at the very beginning of his sermon yesterday that caused me to rethink the context of my life in this world. It was Galatians 6:9 that says “Let us not become weary of doing good…” For me that was a profound message and I immediately knew what my decision must be. Over the past several months I have been struggling with how to balance my spiritual life with my secular life. To be honest, my secular life was winning. But that one verse completely flipped the picture for me. It goes on to say, “…for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” There are many struggles we all face. I am choosing the one that is most important to me and the one that will have real meaning in the end.
An important part of my decision is my desire to become more involved in missions. I have been doing short term missions for several years now. I want to expend the energy I have to help people around the world in any way I can; financially, with my talents or just by being a friend. God has blessed me with a sharp mind and with many spiritual gifts. I believe I need to use those gifts He has entrusted to me. So, going forward I will focus on my faith and missions.
It is done.
