Jacob's Message

David loved watching old episodes of the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island with his dad. Ginger was beautiful but Mary Ann, well, he wanted to marry her! She was so pretty, so sweet and kind. Who would have thought one of those characters would have served as a role model for what he wanted to be when he grew up. Not a ship mate or a ship captain, not a movie star or even a millionaire. No, he wanted to be a Professor. The professor was admired, smart, handsome, well dressed, and always seemed to be doing some kind of research. He gave them hope!

The memories of those wonderful times with his dad came flooding back to him as he sat with his son, Jacob, who had just turned 10. It was late November 2023 and a lite snow had been falling that day. Looking out the window, Jacob said to his dad, "It's snowing! Can we still go to the coffee shop? Please? Please?". "Of course, we can, this is our time and nothing's going to stop that". 

Indeed, it was their scheduled time for just the two of them, dad and son, and they were having a hot chocolate in their favorite local coffee shop. The coffee shop was absolutely their favorite place. Tucked away in a quaint neighborhood, it sat on the corner of an oak lined street, free of traffic and commotion. The fact they could walk there from their home made it even more special.

"Hey dad, I have been thinking about what I want to be when I grow up. I don't think I want to be a Professor like you. I hope you are not mad for me saying that. It's just .. well it's just that I hardly ever see you. I love our Saturday morning times together and that we do get to go to church on Sundays. But you are hardly ever home and when you are, you're either too tired to do things with me and Kati or you stay in your study reading or writing that thing you have to have done by Christmas. I know Kati misses you too. She tells me mom sometimes cries when you are away on a trip for work." 

Kati was David and Ruth's 8-year-old daughter. She was born in 2015, two years after Jacob. She was a beautiful little soul ... had Ruth's blue eyes and his reddish hair. Jacob was going to be tall like his dad, handsome too. 

"So dad, what made you want to be a Professor when you grew up?"

"Well Jacob, your grandpa and I used to sit together and watch a funny old TV show. It was about a group of people who set out on a chartered boat ride. The weather grew quite fierce and the ship ended up wrecked and on an unchartered desert island. The show was called Gilligan's ... "  

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Geneva College's business department was located on the third floor of Old Main, located in the middle of the 55-acre campus. Aptly named, the building was constructed of stone that was harvested from the surrounding mountains and was the first building constructed when the College was established in 1848.

"Hey David, you okay, my friend? You look like you are carrying the weight of the world on your back. Listen, if you need to talk, just drop in when I'm alone in my office." Henry was a trusted colleague and knew his way around psychology. After all, he chaired that department. He and David often engaged in long conversations about anything from sports to having the "talk" with their kids. "Kind of but not really Henry, to be honest, but I have to take care of something in my office. I would love to talk but I just don't have the time right now. I'll shoot you a text in a bit." "Okay! Just know that tomorrow is a new day and that your old buddy Henry is concerned. I'll be looking for that text". 

As he sat at his desk, there was no doubt that what he was about to do would surely be taken as unexpected and irrational by both his peers and superiors. Even more so, his non-collegiate family and friends wouldn't know what to think. He did have the support of Ruth though and that was what really mattered.

He raised the screen on his laptop, entered his credentials, and navigated directly to the folder he titled NSAT. He wasn't a big fan of acronyms, but this was an exception - N ot S ure A bout T his. He opened the document that would alter the career path he was on.

His plan was to look it over, make any changes and then head home to sleep on it one more day. That plan went by the wayside. His conversation with little Jacob a few days earlier confirmed that what he was about to do was without a doubt what needed to be done. 

*******

Before he even graduated from high school in 1998, he had already laid out his career path. That path would hopefully conclude in 2024 when he would be recognized as a Full Professor, the highest rank possible, and he would not even be 50 years of age. Undergraduate degree, master's degree, PhD achievement, Postdoctoral work, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and finally Full Professor. It took him a bit longer to finish his undergraduate work because of his triple major. It's not uncommon for a business student to double major in Business Administration and Accounting. But adding a third major in biblical studies was unheard of and a first at Geneva College. He finished in 4 years, but it required a few semesters of 18 or more credit hours and a couple of years of summer classes. His career was going as planned and a master's degree and PhD followed, concluding in 2008 with a thesis on internal controls in the banking industry. 

His plans were materializing and nothing was going to stop him come heck or high water. It never crossed his mind that a child just 10 years of age would rock his world. So would meeting Ruth.

******

After receiving his PhD, David decided to accept a postdoc position at the University of Chicago. 

"Are you sure you want to do this, son? You know it's going to require long hours and keep you away from home for two years plus or minus?" "Yes, dad, I have thought about it long and hard and really, I think it will help my chances significantly when I apply for Assistant and Associate Professor positions"

It never crossed his mind that he would meet his future wife, Ruth, there. It was 2010, he was 32 and she was 27. Both were postdocs and had been assigned to the same research team. Her beauty, energy, love of God and family consumed him. They married in 2012 and Jacob was born in 2013, Mary in 2015.

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David had been hired at Geneva College in 2018 to fill one of the two Associate Professor of Business positions. Enrollment, both online and on campus, had been increasing, the majority of the increase being business students. Seeing the need for additional faculty, the Board of Trustees accepted the recommendation by the President's Cabinet to add 10 new faculty members, two of them being for the growing business department. 

It was January 2023 and the time had come to apply for a Full Professorship. He had finally reached the brink of the pinnacle of his chosen career path, the one he charted way back in high school. Promotion from Associate to Full Professor was a very long process and would take at least another year and involve an in-depth review. Promotion would mean higher pay, but it would also mean more responsibility. He had to think about that. He really did. 

"You have worked so hard for this opportunity, honey. If you pass this opportunity up, I think you will forever be second guessing yourself. My thought is you go ahead and submit your application". Oh, how he loved Ruth, his beautiful wife of nearly 12 years. She was so supportive. He followed his wife's direction and his heart and submitted his application.

*******

It was early in December 2023. The kids were in school, and Ruth was off getting some much-needed groceries. As he sat there at the kitchen island, sipping a fresh cup of dark roast coffee, his mind wandered back to Saturday when he and Jacob were at the coffee shop. Although he heard his son loud and clear that morning, he kind of just brushed it off and he thought nothing more of it. 

His sleep the night before was troubled. What was it? Something was bothering him, and he didn't know what. What Jacob said that morning at the coffee shop a few days ago came back to him. It was a revelation, a message from the Holy Spirit. It made him think. For five years now, he had been working 60-hour weeks. His job responsibilities of research, teaching, and service had left him drained, exhausted, fatigued. He had missed so many activities his kids were involved in, and a tear came to his eye. That tear turned into a full-blown cry. 

Just as the cry dulled to shaking shoulders and sobs, Ruth came in with the groceries. "Honey, what in the world ... ?". And he told her.

That very night, the night he ran into Henry in Old Main, he printed out the letter, signed it, and read it again and read it again. He walked down to the first floor where the President's office was located, and he dropped it in the mail slot. 

The message from the Holy Spirit, speaking through his wonderful son Jacob, was clear as a bright, blue-sky morning. "Your career path isn't nearly as important as time, quality time, with your family. There will be another day for you to reach that pinnacle but today is not the day".