The Bahamas Just Isn’t Worth It
March 22, 2024 | By Emma Sim Cornell ‘27
image description: aerial shot of the ocean floor in the Caribbean
The hustle culture here at Cornell undoubtedly exists. From project teams to students guzzling down espressos at 3 a.m., the stress, anxiety, and commitment to success are rampant on campus. If the stock-piled fridges of Celsius indicate anything, it’s that students are willing to sacrifice their health and sleep for an idealized future. The good grades, impressive extracurriculars, and stellar internships will help them achieve their dream: a lucrative career, a luxurious home, and, perhaps, a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to the pristine shores of the Bahamas.
Yet, I wonder…
What if Cornellians knew of a much greater reward than just a successful career? What if there is something so much better, so unimaginably better than winning a gold medal at the Olympics? Ok. Think about the greatest thing that you could ever want in life and then times that by a trillion (and maybe add two free Bahamas vacations to the mix). What would that be?
And how hard would you be willing to work for it? And how much would you be willing to sacrifice for it?
To me, that’s God.
Now, as someone who requires at least 10 hours of beauty sleep, I can’t do what most Cornell students do, that is, binge three Red Bulls while cranking out midnight deadlines. Yet for someone who is a chronic snoozer and despises the morning sun, it’s a miracle that somehow, although grumpily, I can wake up to go to Mass in the morning. Perhaps, albeit small, this action indicates something.
When Jesus addresses his skeptical audience that He truly is the Son of God, he states:
“If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” [1]
In this passage, Jesus exhorts his skeptics to believe in him through his works. For us, it should be the same. We ask those in disbelief: you skeptics, you might undermine our faith but who can deny our efforts for God? While you are running the race for a “perishable crown,” “we seek an imperishable one.” [2] Just like St. Paul says, we are all athletes hard at work towards our own desires.
Yet for us Christians, we cannot just be doing what others do. In fact, we are called to a much greater holiness that is beyond human nature. To love our enemies, deny ourselves, and suffer for Christ, to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect,” [3] these are our works that transcend human nature. Our willingness to go the extra mile is not compelled by the temporal goods of the world. Instead, it’s strengthened by a selfless love. Indeed, a selfless love for Christ.
Love beyond reason, this is our testimony to those who disbelieve. To those who dream about drinking Piña Coladas on sandy shores, our efforts should rock their boat. Through our tireless efforts we show there is much more to life than just material goods and success. And if done right, our works will lead others to question: how is it possible that they sacrifice so much and what for?
Once someone encounters this unwavering faith, there’s no turning back. Suddenly, the resort at the Bahamas beach doesn’t seem as attractive as it once was before. Instead, we convert to Christ where we sacrifice so much more for something so much better.
Although I’d like to sip Piña Coladas all day, I’ll pass. The Bahamas, in my book, just isn’t worth it. I’ll spend my time and energy elsewhere, namely seeking the one I love, God.
References:
[1] John 10: 37-38
[2] 1 Corinthians 9:35 (NCB)
[3] Matthew 5:48 (NCB)