Making time for God

Coming into my first year of college, I expected a busy schedule full of academics and many other activities. I had endured a summer where all my family and church congregation members told me horror stories about how busy their college days were but how they ultimately survived and were better off for the experience. However, many of them urged me not to forget my faith and to make a real effort to keep God an important part of my life. I was always slightly shocked at these comments, and not without reason. I had faithfully attended church for 18 years, I was always involved in whatever programs the church offered and had even participated in the local and national levels of my congregation. I have always been deeply involved in the church and had a healthy relationship with God and I saw no reason why that should change in college.

Just as I expected, before too long I was buried in my classwork and all the other activities that composed my hectic schedule. After a few weeks, everything I did was simply another item off the to-do list I got to check off. Even the things I love doing lost their value and I dropped many of my hobbies because I viewed them as a waste of time when there were far more important things that needed my attention. I began to feel increasingly drained, physically, mentally, and especially spiritually, and I could not find relief. During this time, I was still regularly attending church and participating in Disciples on Campus, but they too had become just another weekly appointment to add to my list. I was not getting the spiritual rejuvenation I desperately needed.

An answer to my problems came after a conversation with my parents one day. Usually once or twice a week I would call home and let my family know how I was doing and what was happening in my life. After inquiring about school and my health, they would always ask whether I had gone to church the previous Sunday and how the service was. After talking to them I began to think about what they and many others had warned me about before I came to college: to remember my faith and keep God in my life. I realized that even though I was attending church, DOC, and even working on my covenant, I did not have the same relationship with God I experienced before coming to college.

From then on, I made a conscious decision to make time for God and have a healthy, fulfilling relationship with Him. When I began attending church with a voluntary mindset instead of feeling obligated, I began to take more away from each service. I also began making extra time for God in my busy life. This time was simply an opportunity to momentarily ignore the pressures of the world and come into contact with God through silence and prayer. These times left me spiritually rejuvenated and helped me collect my thoughts so that I could face extraordinarily busy times knowing God would be there with me.

I will continue to make time for God in my life so that my relationship with him will continue to grow and develop in new ways and I can face the many challenges ahead with God always at my side.

Jesse Stephenson is in his first year as a HELM Leadership Fellow and is a member of Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Columbus, Georgia.