Informatics Devotion 2016

There are a lot of changes in our department this year. We have all had a very rough summer. We have had to step up and cover for each other and we have had many interruptions especially with the leaving of our director and the Campus IT adding to our IP numbers many of our summer projects got waylaid. Thank you to all of the full-time and summer staff for dealing with the craziness and stepping up where needed. All of us are behind and scrambling to even have things ready for the beginning of the school year.

We have spent countless hours developing the new game plan. It isn’t perfect, some stuff isn’t even quite to par yet. That’s why why I am dubbing it the year of survival and integrity. Sometimes when you go into survival mode you forget your integrity. You forget the principles that you know are correct and slip into living a life of relativity.

In our case, relativity would most likely look like taking shortcuts especially if something isn’t officially in place yet.  Remember the interview question about seemingly tedious policies? Relativity looks like slopping through a job bc no one is policing you. We need to figure out how to survive and maintain our integrity. We need to remember what principles are non-negotiable within ourselves. Everyone has heard the saying that we may not be watching but God is. That is very true but you are watching yourself. If it doesn’t bother you to let things slip or to lie then you need to do some deep soul searching. James 04:17, Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.

A principle I would like you to consider:
Only a right thing done in a right way is right.

In contrast:
A wrong thing done in a wrong way is wrong.  - is the obvious one!
A wrong thing done in a right way is wrong. - giving a friend a “free” print job but following the correct procedure; substitution;
A right thing done in a wrong way is wrong. - helped patron by passing them off on someone else

Sure the outcome might turn out from a human or problem solving standpoint but not for you internally. It damages your soul. If you continue to allow yourself to justify doing something any of these patterns besides a right thing done in a right way, it chips away at your integrity and your resolve.

The good news is that God has provided a solution when we fail bc we will all fail (Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,). His Son went to the cross not only for our salvation but He died as a substitute for our sins. All we have to do is name our sins to God and we are forgiven. 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We have a fresh slate to start again.

We need you each to start the year with a conscious choice that you are going to do a right thing done in a right way.