One of the occupational hazards of being a research professor is that I am called upon to criticize other's work. For some reason, since I have been in Botswana, I have been called upon to review a LOT of work by other people. For the last 3-4 weeks seniors have streamed into my office asking me to critque their senior project proposals. The most senior professor in my department asked me to critique a couple of his manuscripts. A bunch of my colleagues are on editorial boards for scientific journals. I have, of late, been flooded with professional research papers to critique.
When I am asked to do these tasks, for the most part, people are asking me to find and point out, gently, what is wrong with the work. Sometimes I remind those writing research proposals, that my job is to find what is wrong, and I well understand that they did hundreds, maybe thousands, of things well, it's just that those asking me to review aren't interested so much in the good work, just in the errors.
Sadly, this constant requirement to criticize others work, as well as my own, makes me a a full-time critic. I have to acknowledge that, like the research proposal, there are thousands of things going well, whereas I focus on what is wrong.
Wow, aren't we all glad for G^d's grace? G^d clearly sees what I do wrong. He knows my sin all too well. Yet, he ignores my sin, because it is hidden, by His will, under the precious cleansing blood of the Christ.
Grace, grace, G^d's grace,
Grace that is greater than all my sin!
Thank you L^rd!
When I am asked to do these tasks, for the most part, people are asking me to find and point out, gently, what is wrong with the work. Sometimes I remind those writing research proposals, that my job is to find what is wrong, and I well understand that they did hundreds, maybe thousands, of things well, it's just that those asking me to review aren't interested so much in the good work, just in the errors.
Sadly, this constant requirement to criticize others work, as well as my own, makes me a a full-time critic. I have to acknowledge that, like the research proposal, there are thousands of things going well, whereas I focus on what is wrong.
Wow, aren't we all glad for G^d's grace? G^d clearly sees what I do wrong. He knows my sin all too well. Yet, he ignores my sin, because it is hidden, by His will, under the precious cleansing blood of the Christ.
Grace, grace, G^d's grace,
Grace that is greater than all my sin!
Thank you L^rd!
No comments:
Post a Comment