"I need to step down from leadership."
"I don't have time."
"She has a crazy packed semester."
"I broke down twice this week because I'm so stressed."
These are just a few of the phrases I've heard way too many times in way too many different forms this semester.
Now, I understand that even the hardest-working, most organized folks can have a lot on their plate. Believe me, as a recovering perfectionist who is often tempted to place her worth in what she produces instead of God, I know what it's like. Of course, I definitely value and support students being diligent in their academics and well-rounded in their activities outside of school as well. In fact, I believe because God is Lord over all creation and made us in His image as humans who create, build, analyze, and imagine, we should be impelled to learn about His creation and His work as much as possible.
At the same time, the fact that so many students say this worries me. One reason is because even though all of the above phrases seem similar, they can actually be interpreted in a few different ways:
A) "I don't know how to manage my time well, and so I actually end up wasting a lot of it and try to get by with doing the minimum."
B) "I am saying yes to everything and have taken on more commitments than is humanly possible."
C) "I don't know how to work diligently and then trust the Lord as I rest," or, "I don't make resting as a priority."
D) "I actually just don't like the changes that have been made or InterVarsity just doesn't meet my needs anymore, so I just don't want to come anymore but don't want to say that directly to your face in case it hurts your feelings."
Or, it could actually indicate that this student really does have a significant amount of work that even if you cut everything unnecessary out, would still take up a lot of time. But it's hard to differentiate between these students and the ones listed above, because they can all be expressed the same way.
The other reason why this worries me is because the resulting consequences often means two things:
1) All of the students who are committed to serving, manage their time well, and don't over-commit end up getting burnt out because now they're taking on what others do not step in to do.
2) It's usually an indicator that students are more focused on structures, tasks, and their own wants that they have lost sight of the vision and/or lost sight of who God is and what His purposes in the world are.
I believe these are two seemingly innocent but dangerous things that the Enemy uses to paralyze students from participating in the great work God is doing on campus.
Right now, less than 1% of RIT's campus is being reached by all of the Christian groups combined. That means there are still thousands of RIT students who potentially have not heard the good news Jesus brings. The question that keeps popping into my head is, if the Christ-following students will not go, who will?
