Degree off Course

Degree off Course 

     I was reviewing angles and degrees with my math students recently and I noticed how even being off by one degree makes a difference in the long run. Think about it for a minute, it doesn't seem that it would make that much of a difference but as you continue that course of being off by that you end up being further and further off course as time goes by.  Try it if you have a protractor or even check out images on google for it. It doesn't seem that big of a deal at first your just a little off. Your still right next to the other line , it even seems like it is just one dark line at first but as you continue you see two very distinct lines.  

    So, what does degrees have to do with God or our Faith? It is simple really. We may think that some little things we decide not to do or not fully go with the teachings of the faith would not make much of a difference, but as you see that if continued on that path even that smallest of one degree that we do not end up in the same place if we followed all of the teachings or God. You may be thinking  that how can we stay that  course all the time because sin sets us off that means we will never be where we were to be but thanks to the gift of Reconciliation we are able to reset that compass and are able to set that course back from that point at which we are at the moment when the priest says "your sins are forgiven".  We are reset, not from the beginning but from where we are in our faith life. We are also able to reset our course if it is not sin that is changing our course at any time. We are never stuck in that course, either good or bad. This is because of our free will. It is our choice the curse we take. 

   If we have these great sins or are actively going against God it is much easier to see that divide as we go on and even faster for us to realize it and change it. It is in those small little things that can set us apart from God and we do not even realize it till much later on. When things happen gradually we are least likely to realize those changes both for the good and bad. We need to be more attentive to our actions and realize that even just being slightly off course will put us further and further away from God. 

    To prove my point I will use an example that if you were flying just 1 degree off from your course you will miss your target destination by 92 feet for every mile you fly.  So, if you decided to fly around the equator and be a degree off you would be 500 miles away from your target spot. That would be 2,640,000 feet off from your destination. As you see it is a big difference. 

      Stop and check your compass and see if you are in line with God or if you are off course. Ask God to help you reset your course and start a new and stay the course as best as you can and when you find yourself off course as yourself why? If the answer is sin, then head to the sacrament of Reconciliation and reset your course. If it is because of any other reason then it is time for you to stop and figure out what you need to do to get back on course. We all must remember that God does not file our flight planes but we do and if we are off course it is not because of Him or the Faith but because we changed our course. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and check your God/Faith compass daily. The  quicker you know your degree the better you will be.