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| We're always missing someone...in this case, David. |
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| And in this case, Zac. |
So when I got to Liberty and suddenly all of my friends were talking about how God had moved in their lives and how He had worked to bring them here, and I watched them worshiping with passion and with their whole hearts and it was mind-blowing. We were encouraging one another with Scripture and praying for each other on a daily basis. I've never been particularly good at making friends, so the fact that these people wanted to be around me and I wanted to spend time with them was awesome but also incredibly intimidating. Social anxiety crept in and threatened to tear everything apart, but through multiple reassurances, that became less and less of a barrier. We went to football games together, ate dinner together, went to church together . . . we were a little family. Eventually, we figured out how to have our own lives while still being friends, and it has been such a rewarding experience.
The first week we were on campus, they had their annual Spiritual Emphasis Week. At 7 pm, tons and tons of students gathered at Thomas Road Baptist Church to worship the Lord and to hear Clayton King bring the Word. We did this every day, Monday through Thursday. I was so worried about getting my homework done (typical nerdy Danielle) that I considered not going the first day, but after my first day I was hooked. It was passionate worship like I'd only experienced a few times before. I was in tears, thanking the Lord for His goodness and for being who He is, I was lifting my hands and hitting my knees without even thinking twice about who would see me; it was just me and God. Then Clayton taught about the parable of the Prodigal Son, and I didn't think I could learn anymore about that story, but my understanding of God and His love for me was deepened and I was so blessed by that week.
I realized on Wednesday that I had given my life to the Lord almost a year ago but had yet to be baptized after that. The last day of Spiritual Emphasis Week is a time of worship while students who've given their lives to Christ get baptized. I gathered with over 100 other students before the service on Friday and we walked out on stage one by one to be baptized by either Clayton King or one of the campus pastors. I was mildly nervous to be going out in front of people, but then I realized that every single person in the crowd was there to support me in my decision to follow Christ. No one was forced to be there, and everyone knew what the service was about. It was a powerful time of absolute joy and thanksgiving watching all of my brothers and sisters in Christ proclaim their faith in boldness and in gladness.
As these things were happening, God began to show me the areas of my life that I wasn't giving Him control in. I was holding on to selfish desires and sinful ways that I tried to keep separate from His love and His will. It wasn't pretty; it was painful and it was slow and people got hurt in the process. I didn't let go with the same gladness and submission that I had worshiped with; I let God pry these things out of my hand, but not without putting up a fight of "good intentions." One of these things was my relationship. The details are between he and I and Christ, but I had to let go of that relationship I had put before God. I love the saying that goes, "God only takes things from you to give you something better." So often I'll cling to something I think is best for me when God is asking me to let it go because He has something even more amazing in store for me. This was precisely the case here. Once I had my painful goodbye, God opened up the floodgates of heaven and I was being so richly poured into by my friends, by my student leadership, by our convocations, by every moment I spent with God.
Through it all, I kept realizing I was humming the same part of a refrain that comes straight from Psalm 30, "There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning." I was having to deal with heartache, with shame, with guilt, and all the while my friends were pointing me back to Christ, and I was clinging to Him for dear life. There were dark moments when I was scared and afraid, and the enemy whispered in my ear that I wasn't going to make it, but when you're surrounded by 13,000 students proclaiming victory in Christ three times a week at convocation, it's hard to forget who wins in the end.
By the end of the first day of Spiritual Emphasis Week, I was absolutely assured that Liberty University was the place that God had so graciously brought me as a training ground for this lifetime. By the end of my first week at Liberty, I wondered how I had survived the first 18 years of my life without being at Liberty. The difference is this: communion with Christ, and communion with the body of Christ. We're not called to have Sunday morning relationships with a domineering God who doesn't care about our short lives on Earth. We're called to a sweet, sweet friendship with the Creator of heaven and earth, the very One who sustains us and loves us with a fierceness none can fathom. And we're not called to put up with the people who fill in our pews or walk by us on the sidewalk. We're called to a fellowship, literally a oneness with every person who has put their faith in the finished work of Christ, and a radical love for those who are still lost, a love that defies all earthly sense; a love that would gladly give up His life for the very people who murdered Him. If I've learned nothing else at Liberty, I've learned this:
Genuine Christianity is not always comfortable. Genuine Christianity is a daily uphill battle. But the beautiful thing is that the hill we're battling up is Calvary, and we're battling toward the foot of the cross and the outstretched arms of Jesus Christ.
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| Baptismal Service on Friday Night Photo courtesy of Justin Kintzel's Instagram |
As these things were happening, God began to show me the areas of my life that I wasn't giving Him control in. I was holding on to selfish desires and sinful ways that I tried to keep separate from His love and His will. It wasn't pretty; it was painful and it was slow and people got hurt in the process. I didn't let go with the same gladness and submission that I had worshiped with; I let God pry these things out of my hand, but not without putting up a fight of "good intentions." One of these things was my relationship. The details are between he and I and Christ, but I had to let go of that relationship I had put before God. I love the saying that goes, "God only takes things from you to give you something better." So often I'll cling to something I think is best for me when God is asking me to let it go because He has something even more amazing in store for me. This was precisely the case here. Once I had my painful goodbye, God opened up the floodgates of heaven and I was being so richly poured into by my friends, by my student leadership, by our convocations, by every moment I spent with God.
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| Spiritual Emphasis Week 2014 Photo courtesy of LU Student Matt Ozburn |
By the end of the first day of Spiritual Emphasis Week, I was absolutely assured that Liberty University was the place that God had so graciously brought me as a training ground for this lifetime. By the end of my first week at Liberty, I wondered how I had survived the first 18 years of my life without being at Liberty. The difference is this: communion with Christ, and communion with the body of Christ. We're not called to have Sunday morning relationships with a domineering God who doesn't care about our short lives on Earth. We're called to a sweet, sweet friendship with the Creator of heaven and earth, the very One who sustains us and loves us with a fierceness none can fathom. And we're not called to put up with the people who fill in our pews or walk by us on the sidewalk. We're called to a fellowship, literally a oneness with every person who has put their faith in the finished work of Christ, and a radical love for those who are still lost, a love that defies all earthly sense; a love that would gladly give up His life for the very people who murdered Him. If I've learned nothing else at Liberty, I've learned this:
Genuine Christianity is not always comfortable. Genuine Christianity is a daily uphill battle. But the beautiful thing is that the hill we're battling up is Calvary, and we're battling toward the foot of the cross and the outstretched arms of Jesus Christ.
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| The only picture we have of everyone . . . featuring Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife! |
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