Save Your Stress
Ah, that moment in late July when you wake up at 6:59 to sixty seconds of bleary-eyed bliss--and then the alarm goes off.
Today, I had my second college visit, this time to the faraway Olivet Nazarene University. (Okay, so it was only an hour and half away, but far compared to Moody!) Per tradition, I nibbled a bowl of cereal and an apple, barely consuming enough calories to function. I was running on pure adrenaline; when you're moving forward on the rest of your life, this time with three crazy friends, who needs breakfast, right? Wrong. Halfway between my home and Bourbonnais, Illinois, my stomach started to growl.
Today's lesson #1: The first step to moving forward on life is moving forward on the most important meal of the day. It's the little things.
Still, I did have those three crazy friends, excellent medicine for an empty stomach. When your companions are an opera singer, a witty joker, and a youth leader out to embarrass you, anything can happen. With the radio and the A/C turned way up, we arrived on campus in major style.
It quickly became clear that this was no Moody Bible Institute. The compact, inner city charm I had experienced there was replaced by sprawling, manicured beauty here. We filed into the admissions office, greeted by a table of t-shirts and handwritten notes from the counselors who would be meeting with us one-on-one.
What was this?
A young woman who introduced herself as Melissa met us, shook hands, and asked, "Would you like to take the tour or do lunch first?" Silence. Then three index fingers touched noses and three pairs of eyes turned to me. They were leaving me to answer. I sighed.
"Lunch."
Over pizza, Melissa got to experience us in all our glory. "Wanna see a magic trick?" Opera-singer Emily blinked sparkling brown eyes at Melissa. Once given permission, she turned her head, sipped her drink, and sent a stream of fizzing liquid across the table.
"This is how you get sainted," I informed Melissa. "You hang out with us."
Almost-youth-minister Melissa laughed. "I feel holier already."
When we were finished, Melissa led us across the campus, armed with a magical ID card that granted us access anywhere. Melissa was a former student, as was our youth leader Amanda, so every part of the tour was punctuated with their stories. Outside one building, we heard the tale of the formerly homeschooled man who had won a Halloween costume competition by "dressing up" as a homeschooler--signing up as a group of friends and then walking across the stage alone. While visiting a dorm room, we learned how Amanda had been part of the 3% of the student body who start at ONU not knowing who their roommates are. After touring a dorm bathroom, we heard...too much. And suddenly Olivet was creeping into the running for my future school, and with it, my old enemy: Stress.
"Save your stress for the actual decision." The advice of another youth leader floated through my head. My pressure-squeezed heart took a small breath. "Just have fun with the process." I had forgotten...again. Today was not the day to make a decision; today was a day to have fun.
I was reminded again when I met with Jordan, the counselor I had been assigned to, who understood the pressures of senior year. He assured me I didn't have to know today; my job was to seek God, and He would lead me. At the end of our meeting, Jordan prayed comfort and peace and guidance on my future. And God began to answer as my gaze was turned back to Him, and the hiding place under His wings. As long as I was there, I was where I was supposed to be.
Decision day will come. But today isn't that day. Today is the day to rejoice, save my stress, and "seek first the kingdom of God." (Matthew 6:33) Because, sometimes, seeking first looks like sitting still and trusting, which is something I can do every day for the rest of my life. So maybe this process isn't just about picking a college. Maybe it's God's way of giving me endurance, character, and hope. (Romans 5:3-4) And those are treasures that will serve me for the rest of my life, long past my college days--because those treasures are eternal.
Today, I had my second college visit, this time to the faraway Olivet Nazarene University. (Okay, so it was only an hour and half away, but far compared to Moody!) Per tradition, I nibbled a bowl of cereal and an apple, barely consuming enough calories to function. I was running on pure adrenaline; when you're moving forward on the rest of your life, this time with three crazy friends, who needs breakfast, right? Wrong. Halfway between my home and Bourbonnais, Illinois, my stomach started to growl.
Today's lesson #1: The first step to moving forward on life is moving forward on the most important meal of the day. It's the little things.
Still, I did have those three crazy friends, excellent medicine for an empty stomach. When your companions are an opera singer, a witty joker, and a youth leader out to embarrass you, anything can happen. With the radio and the A/C turned way up, we arrived on campus in major style.
It quickly became clear that this was no Moody Bible Institute. The compact, inner city charm I had experienced there was replaced by sprawling, manicured beauty here. We filed into the admissions office, greeted by a table of t-shirts and handwritten notes from the counselors who would be meeting with us one-on-one.
What was this?
A young woman who introduced herself as Melissa met us, shook hands, and asked, "Would you like to take the tour or do lunch first?" Silence. Then three index fingers touched noses and three pairs of eyes turned to me. They were leaving me to answer. I sighed.
"Lunch."
Over pizza, Melissa got to experience us in all our glory. "Wanna see a magic trick?" Opera-singer Emily blinked sparkling brown eyes at Melissa. Once given permission, she turned her head, sipped her drink, and sent a stream of fizzing liquid across the table.
"This is how you get sainted," I informed Melissa. "You hang out with us."
Almost-youth-minister Melissa laughed. "I feel holier already."
When we were finished, Melissa led us across the campus, armed with a magical ID card that granted us access anywhere. Melissa was a former student, as was our youth leader Amanda, so every part of the tour was punctuated with their stories. Outside one building, we heard the tale of the formerly homeschooled man who had won a Halloween costume competition by "dressing up" as a homeschooler--signing up as a group of friends and then walking across the stage alone. While visiting a dorm room, we learned how Amanda had been part of the 3% of the student body who start at ONU not knowing who their roommates are. After touring a dorm bathroom, we heard...too much. And suddenly Olivet was creeping into the running for my future school, and with it, my old enemy: Stress.
"Save your stress for the actual decision." The advice of another youth leader floated through my head. My pressure-squeezed heart took a small breath. "Just have fun with the process." I had forgotten...again. Today was not the day to make a decision; today was a day to have fun.
I was reminded again when I met with Jordan, the counselor I had been assigned to, who understood the pressures of senior year. He assured me I didn't have to know today; my job was to seek God, and He would lead me. At the end of our meeting, Jordan prayed comfort and peace and guidance on my future. And God began to answer as my gaze was turned back to Him, and the hiding place under His wings. As long as I was there, I was where I was supposed to be.
Decision day will come. But today isn't that day. Today is the day to rejoice, save my stress, and "seek first the kingdom of God." (Matthew 6:33) Because, sometimes, seeking first looks like sitting still and trusting, which is something I can do every day for the rest of my life. So maybe this process isn't just about picking a college. Maybe it's God's way of giving me endurance, character, and hope. (Romans 5:3-4) And those are treasures that will serve me for the rest of my life, long past my college days--because those treasures are eternal.
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