Each August, as new students make their way onto our campuses, anticipation grows as we consider the question, “Who will I meet today whose life can be impacted by my life and ministry?” An appropriate question, as we certainly do what we do in the belief that we will be used of God to make a difference in the lives of others.
But let me offer an alternate question: “Who will I meet today whom God will use to have an impact on me?”
The first question implies that ministry is a one-way street, that we are offering a service for the benefit of others. And this is of course demonstrates the biblical teaching to value the interests of others more than our own. We should not approach others primarily for what they can do for us. But the idea of the “divine appointment” can work both ways.
Out of these divine encounters, lifelong friendships are going to emerge. You may see the person in front of you right now as an anxious freshman, both excited and unsure of her new chapter in life, but in time she will grow into a mature adult, and your relationship will evolve from that of a campus minister-student to that of adult friends. Just as is true with our own children, the context of our relationship with our students over time will be as adults.
Lately I’ve thought about this a lot. I’ve thought about those to whom I extended a hand from beside a snow-cone table and who in time became followers of Christ and even the leaders in our ministry. Along with the many activities I did with my students, mostly we just did life together. Mission trips, retreats, weekly worship and Bible studies, but also lots of laughter, tears, times of challenge and celebration. You know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s why we do what we do. But I’ve also thought about the ways they ministered to me and my family, how they loved our little boys as though they were their own, and how they affirmed and challenged me when I most needed it.
And the four years on campus were not the end of it. There were the weddings, the reunions, the celebration of new life and the passing of old, and the markers of life transition regarding careers and homes and health that make up reality for all of us. It has been rich and rewarding to see connections begun many years ago continue into the present.
I want to believe that I was used to make a difference in the life of every student with whom I crossed paths during my years on the campus. I certainly hope that is true. But now as a veteran, I know for certain that those students made a difference in mine. My life is a mosaic of every relationship God has blessed me with over the years, including every one of those students.
And I think about that first encounter at an outreach table, a Survival Weekend, or an open house event. Who knew?
So as you go into this new school year, with all the logistical details and frantic activity of these first few weeks, as you meet so many new students and the focus is on “right now,” you may want to keep this longer perspective in mind. As you stand beside that snow-cone table and extend your own hand, you may be shaking the hand of a person whose life will forever impact your own. Who knows?
BY ROBERT TURNER
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