I guess one of the most poignant moments in my Christian walk was when I enrolled at University. I was fortunate enough to have one of my friends join me as she also chose a similar career path. Our lecturers were inspiring and we found ourselves excelling in all areas of varsity life, becoming numbered amongst the top five students in our school within a year. Varsity has it's own set of rules, mores, values and culture and a student must get to know how to navigate through these invisible obstacles in the appropriate manner. Some incredible things happened to me while at varsity which greatly challenged my world view.
As a believer who spent a lot of time involved in Church life, I soon found that a gulf seemed to exist between myself and my fellow students which I could not quite put my finger on. I had been invited to many student parties but declined due to two hours of travel time needed to get home every day and also because I was not even remotely interested in student parties...especially as a believer.
One of our main lecturers considered herself a "gate keeper" ensuring that those wishing to pursue a career working with the public were not going to turn out to be dangerous practitioners so we were heavily screened and tested. This also meant that any personal issues or hang ups were to be dealt with beforehand. After some time, things began to surface in our classmates however this particular environment enabled students to discuss and deal with any issues that may hinder them from being competent when dealing with clients in any field of social work. Halfway through the semester we began to see numbers drop off and our class halved because of the pressures involved in pursuing this career path. Some were juggling with families while still others were having to address some of those issues which many were not ready to do.
My friend and I would spend time praying together during break times and we both came to realize how stable and centered we were within ourselves. Not because we were better than our classmates but because we had most of our issues dealt with at the foot of the cross although we were still in the process of sanctification. That was a real eye opener for us! We also realized how far removed we were as a Church from the every day struggles of ordinary people we wished to reach out to, for Jesus.
A paradigm shift was required on our part and fruitful service began to unfold as we came alongside some of our fellow students in various ways to help and support them in achieving their potential both personally and academically. The rewards far outweighed any inconveniences we may have encountered and some cases may never be truly known until we get to heaven.
Peace and Love!
As a believer who spent a lot of time involved in Church life, I soon found that a gulf seemed to exist between myself and my fellow students which I could not quite put my finger on. I had been invited to many student parties but declined due to two hours of travel time needed to get home every day and also because I was not even remotely interested in student parties...especially as a believer.
One of our main lecturers considered herself a "gate keeper" ensuring that those wishing to pursue a career working with the public were not going to turn out to be dangerous practitioners so we were heavily screened and tested. This also meant that any personal issues or hang ups were to be dealt with beforehand. After some time, things began to surface in our classmates however this particular environment enabled students to discuss and deal with any issues that may hinder them from being competent when dealing with clients in any field of social work. Halfway through the semester we began to see numbers drop off and our class halved because of the pressures involved in pursuing this career path. Some were juggling with families while still others were having to address some of those issues which many were not ready to do.
My friend and I would spend time praying together during break times and we both came to realize how stable and centered we were within ourselves. Not because we were better than our classmates but because we had most of our issues dealt with at the foot of the cross although we were still in the process of sanctification. That was a real eye opener for us! We also realized how far removed we were as a Church from the every day struggles of ordinary people we wished to reach out to, for Jesus.
A paradigm shift was required on our part and fruitful service began to unfold as we came alongside some of our fellow students in various ways to help and support them in achieving their potential both personally and academically. The rewards far outweighed any inconveniences we may have encountered and some cases may never be truly known until we get to heaven.
Peace and Love!
