My father shared a wonderful article with me, from the most recent copy of Brigham Young University's Humanities magazine. In his introductory message he shares a profound message about the role of study and education in bring us closer to God.
The PDF of the magazine is found at this link:
http://issuu.com/byuhumanities/docs/fall4014_final_pdf?e=12728246/10121556
Among his ideas is that we should decide what we take with us from our studies- not everything is of equal worth. Interestingly, being more attentive and excellent in our studies makes us more focused and attentive in prayer. It does this because difficult and focused study develops faculties that can help us focus on holy things, if we choose to.
He also mentioned the mission of BYU, which makes it uncommon, even unique, among large universities:
...to assist individuals in their quest for perfection for eternal life.
I am very thankful that my faith in God was strengthened during my time at BYU. I do believe that excellence in vocation can lead to excellence in worship, and vice versa, because the abilities required for each are so complimentary. I am often struck by people whose temporal accomplishment is as impressive as their attention to worship. And I don't mean wealth or income, which is not directly related to spiritual attentiveness.
I think his thoughts are very interesting, and worth your time.
