Apparently, I hate my job.
At least that is what a student email told me this week. I admit it came as a bit of a shock, especially since it was something I didn’t know! And so, as the email suggested, I trudged on down to CVS to inquire about any openings they may have, and was told I didn’t have enough experience outside the bubble to even be considered.
Imagine that! I was in shock, especially since I didn’t even know I was in a bubble to begin with. I asked the manager, “How did you know I was in a bubble?” She laughed and said, “Everyone in the real world knows that Gordon’s campus is a bubble. If you were in the real world, you would be able to clearly see it.” The image of a bubble conjured up ideas of being restrained, of being protected, and I knew that wasn’t true. I thought to myself, “Isn’t Gordon’s motto ‘Freedom within a Framework of Faith?’” If this manager was right, perhaps the motto should be changed to, “Shackled within a Circular Structure.”
Now I was really confused! In one day I had learned two depressing things: I hate my job, and I live in a bubble! Talk about empathizing with Jonah. At least it didn’t smell in my bubble – or did it?
So I came back to Gordon, back to the bubble, and tried to figure out how two people I didn’t even know could so successfully psychoanalyze me. And then, suddenly, as drastic as the spewing from the fish’s mouth must have felt to Jonah, I was reminded of why I love working here, and why I never even knew (or cared) that a bubble existed.
Allow me to indulge.
I love Christian liberal arts colleges. I went to one, and now I work at one. If it is the Lord’s will (and I hope it is), I will gladly work at a Christian college for the rest of my life. To me, a Christian college is the perfect synthesis of exploration, formation, and identification.
Exploration: Who am I? I asked this question while in college (still often ask it), and I hear it uttered often by others involved in this enterprise. Gordon offers a chance for me (and you) to explore passions, identities, and questions in ways that are not always offered in other environments. I don’t know about you, but that is freedom to me.
Formation: Another oft-uttered question is, “what in the world am I becoming?” While it is not obtuse to assume that a Christian college shelters one from the real world and its desire to conform humanity, I wonder if this is what I should truly desire. Is it important to look like the world? Can and should an external institution really try to internally transform me, something that I can and should do myself? A Christian college offers a healthy approach to this teleological question, realizing that formation is not an isolated, self-seeking enterprise.
Identification: This comes only after the first two questions have been honestly asked and answers have been honestly sought. And the great thing about this occurring within the context of a Christian college is one (hopefully) experiences that true identity does not come with separation from the bubble, but only when recognizes there is – gasp! - no such thing as a bubble!
Now that I look back, I’m
Because any time life, any aspect of life, is pursued with such a mentality, I am bound to be let down. And I can assure you that no matter where I am, in or out of a bubble, at CVS or Gordon, I can be let down.
I guess this means I do love my job, this school, and our common endeavor. Sorry if that bursts your bubble. But that is what we all want, right?
