Waiting, sitting, pacing. Anticipation. "Idleness is the devils playground" my great-grandpa told me. I could not agree more. Instead of using the spare time for Christ we, or at least I, turn inward selfishly. Commitment to Christ is so easily said and put down on paper, that paper is so easy to put away, to push to a back shelf until we need to or want to open it again. That is not true Christianity. That is not a relationship, it's "fire insurance." It's true, coming to college you will be tested on many of your views and they will be stretched, possibly broken, possibly strengthened, Hold fast to Christ. He loves me, he loves you. Remind yourself that daily. Spend time in the word. Yes, yes, yes, yes, once again a paper list beautifully organized but terrifyingly easy to fold and hide from from until you need it. But, maturity as a person, maturity as a Christian is being true to what you know is true. Living fully for the light of the world. Diving deep, daring to adventure where no man has gone before, but in those adventures, in those journeys, remember why you are doing it. Not for yourself, fully for Christ. Live in this world, but remember you are set apart from this world. Prayer warrior, Prayer marches. A title and a task more ancient and beautiful than most. A title and task we each must do. Pray, fight in this war. Live for Christ.
So, as Spring break draws near and grades are coming in it is reliving to see a dramatic improvement from last semester. To me, this semester so far has been about priorities and where they fall and where they need to fall. Its easy to put the things that belong on the bottom of your list up top when it benefits you and the important things slip, silently, stealthily to the bottom. Every day, every hour, every second I need to remind myself "It's not about being the picture of a great 'Auburn man' it's about being the picture of a Godly man." While being a great Auburn man can and should share some of the same things as being a man for God, it is all about priorities and why I, you, want to do what you do.
Culture says just don't think, just jump on in everyone else is. Nike, just do it. But if you don't think why you are doing it then it may be for your own glory or a number of other excuses. You need to think about why you are doing it. Prioritize.
What if the paper you have your desires, priorities, your relationships, your life plan, and time chart what it the paper holding all that burnt and you had to write it all down again. Would it look the same if you got a fresh start focusing fully on Christ as you re-wrote everything. As C.S. Lewis says "God has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us, in the deepest, most tragic, most inexorable sense." In other words, he burns our paper every time we mess up. Confession is a beautiful thing given by Christ's blood to help us. So, I burn my paper, my jumbled up list of desires and priorities and relationships and life plan and time chart and, for the septillionth time begin again fallin at the feet of Christ letting him lead my hand.
