Adding to the Glow

When I stepped onto the campus of Concordia University at Austin, TX, in the fall of 2001, my eyes were bright with expectation. I remember feeling both nervous and eager to be entering a Christian college and to see where that would take me in my relationship with God. I couldn't wait to encounter God in ways I never had. I was ready to experience knowledge and community in a whole new way.

But as the weeks passed, I began to realize something was missing... and that something was God. I couldn't seem to find Him anywhere, and worse yet, I had almost given up the search completely. I saw traces of Him everywhere - in chapel (we had a campus chapel service every morning at 10:00 am), in classes, even in the Bible verses taped to bathroom walls and lining the hallways of our dorms. I'm sure God was there in that place... the problem was, I couldn't feel Him. I had attended Lutheran schools my whole life (preschool through college) so I knew what a "Christian campus" looked and felt like. Even in those Christ-centered environments I had to be intentional about living out that verse Matthew that calls us to "let [our] light shine before others, that they may see [our] good deeds and glorify [our] Father in heaven" (Matt 5:16, TNIV). I imagined that on a college campus it would be easy to be a bright light among the darkness. But in reality, being there was a huge test to my faith; I didn't know how to let my light be seen when everyone else's light was shining just as brightly.

I began to accept the distance in my relationship with the Lord. It wasn't long before I let the busyness of college life take precedence over my connection to God. Classes, exams, events, concerts, road trips, dorm life, parties, sleeping in on the weekends all took priority and my light got dimmer and dimmer. I relied on the occasional chapel service or Theology course for my "fill" of God. I stopped trying to be an example since no one around me seemed (at least to me) to need one. But one morning, as I was standing in chapel signing, I realized how many voices could be heard... not individually, but combined, creating one, loud and powerful sound. And that's when it hit me: God doesn't have a statute of limitations. He doesn't tell us to lead a Christ-like life only if there are people watching. He doesn't tell us to be a light shining on a hill only if there are no other lights around. He wants us to live for Him everyday, no exceptions. Our light may not always shine as bright as someone else's, but it certainly adds to the glow. It doesn't matter whether you attend a secular university or a Christian college; we all spend our lives in two different worlds. We should do all that we can so that our light, the love of God, is shining bright and that, together, we are adding to the glow of Christ's love and redemption for this world. With all of those lights shining, proclaiming the love of Christ, the world can't ignore our beaming glow. And when others see true love radiating from within us, they can't help but want to be a part of it. That's when amazing things happen. That's when lives are changed. And that's when God reveals a small glimpse of heaven, right here on earth. Happy June!