So for the record, It’s currently 11:45 PM on Saturday, September 30th. I have a ton on my mind tonight that I felt like sharing, and it’s better for me to let it out than it is to keep it all in. I had a moment today that sparked a bit of inspiration, and I thought I would share it.
Every Saturday Morning that I’m on campus, I have the same routine. I wake up, get dressed, comb my hair, and then take a walk down to the Local Speedway to Pick up the weekend edition of the local newspaper. I know it’s a little old-fashioned, but I truly enjoy reading the newspaper each week and finding out what’s happening in my local community. It’s about 3/4ths of a mile from my dorm to the convenience store, and so it kind of gives me a chance to wake up a little bit, get some exercise, stretch out my body, and just kind of think about my day and my previous week. Today was no different; I woke up, put my clothes on, combed my hair, and then went on my walk. As I was walking, I tried using my Bluetooth earbuds to put on some music while I walked. I was getting frustrated because I couldn’t figure out why in the world my earbuds weren’t playing music. I kept hitting the play button on my phone, but nothing was coming through my earbuds. So I went to my settings, only to realize they weren’t connected. I then got to thinking, How often is it that we aren’t connected to God and Each other? You see, if we desire to hear the things God has for us, we need to be connected to him. How do we stay connected to him, you might ask?
There are a few ways, but my favorite personally is through his creation. As an Eagle Scout, I have a natural love for the outdoors and God’s beautiful creation. As I’m writing this right now, I’m sitting in the parking lot of my church in the back of my car, and I’m looking up at the stars and am just in awe of God’s perfect creation. There is nothing like it, and it’s cool to think that the same God who created the planets, the earth, and ALL the stars looked at this world and decided it needed each one of us, too. Pretty amazing. You see, God’s biggest desire is to be connected to us, so we should also have that heartfelt desire to be connected to him. In the world we live in today, It can be SO easy to get disconnected from God, and I’m guilty of doing it myself from time to time, but we’re never so far disconnected that he doesn’t welcome us back with open arms (The Prodological Son is what comes to mind here but that’s a story for another time). God blesses us with SO much each and every day and loves us more than anybody will ever understand, and yet, all he asks in return is for a surrendered heart. Pretty incredible to wrap your mind around, huh?
Speaking of people, why is it that so often we get disconnected from each other? There are a lot of different reasons. Things like Differences of Opinions, Different Values and Morals, and just the busyness of life and the distractions around us. I’ve experienced this first hand, but with as many distractions as we have around us, if we aren’t careful, it can be easy to be disconnected even from the people we spend the most time with. As a college student, things like Work, School, and Social Media can all be things fighting for our time and attention, and we can tend to spend too much time on those things if we aren’t careful. Connecting with others around us is SO important, and it’s important that we set aside time just for that. I’ve personally found that if I don’t prioritize my time with my friends, it doesn’t always happen, but I tend to be a better student and stronger Christ Follower when I’m around the people who encourage me and push me towards the Cross. When I’m around my friends, I try really hard not to be on my phone or distracted by other things, but instead, I’m taking that time to really focus on building relationships, and I’ve really seen the difference it makes in my life and in the lives of those around me. Every week we have a ministry on our campus called “The Well.” It’s personally my favorite ministry we offer here on the iWU campus. It’s a worship night that happens every Monday night in the upstairs loft of our Chapel, and it’s just a very simple, very spirit-led time of worship and reflection. Many of my close friends attend that with me, and there’s no feeling in the world like being able to worship the king of kings in a community surrounded by those who are such a vital part of your life. I started attending this Ministry last year as a Freshman, and in the spring of last year, I couldn’t help but notice that every 10 minutes or so, my smart watch would buzz with some notification of something that was fighting for my time and attention. I hated that feeling of being distracted while I was trying to focus on what was happening around me, so I’ve made it a point now that each and every Monday before I head up to the chapel loft, I leave my watch and phone on the charger on the desk in my room. There’s nothing so important that it can’t wait an hour, and I’ve found that I really connect deeper with the Lord in worship and connect deeper with those around me when I don’t have either of those things with me, distracting me. I especially like that The Well is a place of Vulnerability where we can just be open and honest with each other and with The Lord. It really is special!
I pray as you read this, you can be encouraged and inspired to keep connecting with God and Others. I promise you, It’s worth it! If you still don’t know what that looks like, feel free to reach out! I’d LOVE to tell you more! If you’re in a place where you don’t feel connected to God or even know what a relationship with The Lord looks like, PLEASE reach out! I’d love to tell you more about the incredible God that I get the privilege of serving each and every day!