Vocation in the Valley

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have always been into learning new things. New computer languages, new technologies, and new ways of doing things. This has lead me to read a lot of self-improvement books. How can I better manage my time, how can I read faster, etc. The big picture books in this area focus on not just a single part of your life, but your whole self including how you set goals and live day-to-day to achieve those goals. Heck, as my wife can tell you, I listened to one of Tony Robbins’ series and was all excited about it. Well, as the Holy Spirit has continued to work in me, I really ran into a brick wall while reading “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.

“Think and Grow Rich” is a seminal (strongly influencing later developments) work in the self-improvement arena. Just about every modern self-help guru recommends this book, so I’ve been looking forward to reading it for some time. The book starts off by hinting at a very powerful secret that a large number of famous people have used to become successful. The first example is of a man who wanted to be a business partner of Thomas Edison. He didn’t know Edison and had no money, just a burning desire to be Edison’s partner. Warning bells started going off when …. started talking about the universe aligning …. Then I read about how to achieve the kind of focus it takes to achieve this kind of success. It was akin to prayer. Speaking your goal twice a day. Visualize the accomplishment of that goal for 30 minutes a day. It just made me stop. I mean is this really the direction I want to take my life?

Going in, I assumed the book would talk about how to focus my mind to achieve my goals. And you know what? That’s exactly what the book would do, help me achieve MY goals. I’d have to disregard all of God’s will. I’d have to disregard Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. I’d have to focus solely on what I wanted to accomplish. So where does this leave me with self-help? First, I am going to try to finish “Think and Grow Rich.” It will probably take me quite a while since I’m going to try to read it in such a way that I can still put Jesus first. I’m not sure I’ll be successful but I would like to be able to use the techniques in the book to better accomplish God’s goals for my life. As far as self-help in general, I’ll probably steer more towards the technique oriented books like time management, organization, speed-reading. etc. and leave the bigger picture to God’s will.

Ever since I found out I was going to be a father, I’ve thought about what I would like my children to know. Above all I want to pass on to them the knowledge that they have a savior, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to atone for their sins. Everything else just pales (”For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36). So what next? Reading of course, that’s just a foundation for everything else. I believe that with the ability to read, you can learn everything else. But what subject? Science? Math? History? Computers? Art? No, it has to be economics. I’m starting to think that your economic views are second only to your religious views when it comes to living your life.

When I’m talking about economics I don’t mean anything esoteric, just basic stuff like supply and demand, trade, price, savings, etc. With this knowledge my children will be able better understand this fallen world and make better choices in it.