Last year, as part of a larger effort, I
committed myself to attending church regularly, a promise my grandparents welcomed. The impetus was
to improve personal accountability, and lend shape to my formless religious
views. The ongoing experience has taught
me much, but what Easter Sunday revealed gives me cause for concern. Far from the exception, the behavior displaced
that Sunday contributes to why the United States holds the following world
rankings:
· 11th in “working hard";
· 12th in prosperity;
· 14th in education and
17th in education performance;
· 19th in national
satisfaction and
· 24th in literacy.
(Don’t worry, the United States still leads
the world in the following: incarcerations, death by violence, wine consumption
and breast augmentation).
Allow me to explain.
Too many “Christians” allow their “faith”
to revolve around three days – Christmas, Palm Sunday and Easter – while relegating
the remaining days to an afterthought. For
these persons, attendance at three services marks them “good Christians,” the quintessential
“check the box” exercise. Three out of
fifty-two – 5%. No one experiences success with 5% attendance! Looking more
broadly, this behavior is but a sad reflection of a larger societal problem.
Against this backdrop, it is not surprising
that an estimated 5 million to 7.5 million American students miss nearly a month
of school each year, a phenomenon known as “chronic absenteeism.” According
to the group “Attendance Works” a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the consequences of missed school days are apparent when
analyzing student test scores. Case in
point, fourth grade absentee students scored, on average, 12 points lower on reading
assessments, and the threat posed by chronic absenteeism only becomes more
serious as children age, correlating to higher dropout rates and failure to
complete college. And while there is
plenty of blame to go around, the fact remains that society, as a whole, is also
at fault.
It is time to rethink the example we are
setting, and demonstrate higher levels of commitment. Visiting the gym for two weeks in January and
two weeks in March – to fulfill New Year’s Resolutions and prepare for spring
break vacations, respectively – is insufficient. So is attending church three times a year, “only
when it matters.”
Every.
Day. Matters.
