C’MON KIDS, IT’S NOT THAT BAD. The sleepless nights at the library, the stress of catching up on work from the past 3 months, the constant internal fight to concentrate! focus! study! (and report all of your progress via facebook status and twitter, of course) – this is the life of a college student during finals. Tunnel vision – winter break!! – becomes the reality in which students live. In light of what I’ve been reflecting on in Isaiah during this beautiful Advent season – deep longing for the consolation of Israel, for the long-awaited Messiah who would break through the gloomy clouds of night with the light of day! (for more of my advent thoughts, go to “reflections”) – it can be easy to roll my eyes at students at this time, to lack compassion for their seemingly “trite” struggles.
advent comparisons from InterVarsity's twentyonehundred productions :)
COMPASSION VIA PRAYER – As InterVarsity staff, praying for students is encouraged – in fact, my work on campus is quite lifeless without it. It is beautiful to see how God continues to change my heart through prayer! As I’ve been praying for students to draw near to God and allow him to be Lord over all areas of their lives, it’s impossible to ignore the great importance of their call to be faithful to God via their studies. It is one thing for me to care about their spiritual growth; it’s another, much deeper thing to care about their spiritual growth in light of their development as students. How students relate to God (or don’t) and understand the gospel intensely impacts their perspective on their call as students.
REJOICE, REJOICE! EMMANUEL SHALL COME TO THEE! Hallelujah that we have a God that is with us no matter what – in the tunnel vision of school stress, in the crazies of holiday family time, in the monotony of co-op jobs that don’t seem to end! Let’s pray that students know the good news of our Emmanuel, God with us! Pray that his presence is near – even in the somewhat dismal, white-lit study-cubbies of the library…that their hearts would be warmed and strengthened by the nearness of our God!
Here are pictures from our study-break celebration of our Emmanuel!
happy faces after the gift exchange :)
festive ladies :)
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31). This beautiful reason for all Christmas joy – his coming, “his taking flesh gives flesh itself a strength and life it did not have before…the Holy One has seen fit to adopt our frailty, so that we might partake in his strength” (Scott Cairns). Hallelujah!
staff and vision team - partners at NU!
