Extra Credit

Chapter 18 - The Story

For those who know me, you know I'm taking master's classes right now.  Which has been fun.  For those who knew me in my bachelor-degree days, you'll remember I thought those classes were fun too.

Except Statistics.

Who came up with that class?  I mean, really?  I get the importance of data, and I LOVE data.  But I hate designing it, and then using things like >0.6.  Which I know is important.  I just don't know what that means.  So hats off to my extra cool statisticians who know.  You complete me.

Needless to say, I worked my backside off, hoping to never come to stats land ever again (amen).  And then I went to grad school.

Under a cool, catchy new name, I signed up for my required class of "organizational analysis".  It was code for stats.  Once again, I'm back to feeling 19 and clueless as I figure out what >0.6 means, again.  But now the stakes are higher, and more expensive, and require tri-weekly 15 page research paper on how to interpret >0.6.  It was a stone cold bummer.  I didn't just pass that class.  I survived that class.

Thank God for extra credit.  That sweet bit of extra work that helps your instructor understand that you're not lazy, just a tad (or a whole lotta) lost.  Papers.  News journals.  Organizational mags.  Please let me prove that I actually can read.  And maybe even write.  Just one pinch of extra credit!

Chapter 18 of The Story loses no steam on a guy who has to prove himself.  Again.  And again.  Poor Daniel!  You get carted off into exile, you and your buddies get promoted, then you are supposed to be executed, and then you and your buddies get promoted again.  Awesome!  Nope.  Your buddies get thrown into a fire.  Then they are rescued.  Then God has to write on a wall and the new king ends his party with a bang.  Now a new guy, and his buddies hate you.  And you get thrown into a lion's den.  Along with all this, you get angels called down to help fight for you and have visions of the future.

Daniel's got a lot going on.  Daniel's a BOSS.

But on page 252, Daniel goes to Nebuchadnezzar to tell him he knows the meaning of his dream.  He says, "No wise man...can explain to the king the mystery has asked about, but there is a God...".  He continues on page 253 and says, "As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind."

Here's a guy who we would think needs a self-marketing campaign.  Yet he doesn't take the credit.  Not for his wisdom, his insight, his ability to interpret dreams.  Same with his buddies.

ALL of the extra credit went to God.  Daniel didn't need it.  Didn't want it.  He knew God had it.  He didn't have to prove anything.  With an eery calm, Daniel responds to each crisis knowing that the God in heaven CAN respond and is the God who saves - the "revealer of mysteries".

In a day and age of measuring and assessing and trying to move ahead, we miss no opportunity to do the "extra credit" it takes to be the best and make sure people know it.  Here's a guy who was phenomenal, and didn't take the chance to put himself first.  He squarely position God at the helm and the spotlight.  God gets the credit.  No extra papers, no extra medals, no "plus" after the A.  Just God.

Eliza Cortés Bast