The Big Lesson...

Hello, friends! 

During my 5+ years of working for InterVarsity, there are a number of things that I have learned about college students, about working with college students, about leading college students, and about caring for college students.  Much of this is intuitive; much of it is not.  I'm not THAT far removed from my time in college so I can see that some things haven't changed much since my time @ WashU (GO BEARS!!!).  There are still the same questions: What classes I should take take, how many classes should I take, should I get a job, should I start dating him/her, should I stop dating him/her, what am I doing this summer, what am I doing next semester, what am I doing with my life, and things of that nature.  When I was going through them, I thought they were the most crucial questions in the history of mankind.  Now that I lead students as they go through these questions, I have a much haughty view of these seemingly great mysteries. 

Through all of it, the one thing that I have learned works above all else is this: no matter what you do, follow where Jesus is leading you.  Students have started dating and it has worked, other times it hasn't.  Students have taken more or fewer classes with varying results.  Students have stepped up into leadership, stayed in leadership, and stepped down from leadership, all with different consequences.  The truth of the matter is that as much as I would love for there to be some sort of secret formula for college students to graduate with vibrant relationships with Jesus, the fact of the matter is that the only consistancy I have seen is that those who earnestly seek to do what Jesus wants them to do, regardless of what the decision is, end up graduating in better shape than those who don't. 

Sometimes Jesus wants us to lead.  Sometimes he doesn't.  Sometimes he wants us to pursue relationship.  Sometimes he doesn't.  The only way that we can have anything that resembles an idea of what God actually wants for us is to ask Him.  And, to ask others to ask Him on our behalf. 

When students come to me with decisions already in their minds of what needs to happen, my first question is always this: How did you come to this decision?  When I hear things like, "I have been praying about it and feel like God is calling me here," or, "I really get the sense that God is moving me in this direction," I affirm the call and talk about where we go from there.  However, when I hear, "Well, it just sort of made sense," or, "This was the only way it could be," red flags go up for me.  If I press a little harder, I usually find that students haven't been seeking Jesus in the midst of these decisions.  At that point, I ask them to hold off on the decision for a few days, surround themselves with folk who will pray for them, and earnestly seek Jesus for direction.  Sometimes the answer is the same and sometimes it is different. 

Understand, these students aren't bad people.  It's not like anyone is intentionally ignoring Jesus.  I think it's more the idea that waiting and seeking are hard disciplines to learn.  I still have trouble with it.  But, it is a skill that is imperative to being a follower of Jesus.  That is my goal.  My goal is not to graduate excellent students or InterVarsity All-Stars.  My goal is to graduate followers of Jesus. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam