"Where are you, oh heart of mine,where does your treasure lie?"
The words from Sarah's worship song resound in my head as I think about the past 24 hours. Yesterday I found a clue on the map to my treasure chest, and it confirmed my hopes. But it also woke me up to the reality that the treasure I seek is still many miles from being my own.
At about 11:15am this morning I was on my way to work on my thesis at the library when I decided to stop by the link on campus and see how the 5 students who took on the 5 days for the homeless challenge were doing on their last day. The people that partook in this event are solid people that I really admire. They are charming and non-complainers and sacrificed so much of their time and comfort in order to benefit people that they don't even know. Their actions really made me reflect on how effectively I use my time to benefit my community.
While I was "passing by" I got caught up in sharing food, funny stories, and songs with the small group that had gathered there. I ended up staying there for an hour and half just singing songs, hanging out with friends and throwing a Frisbee around. It was probably the most heart-warming hour and a halfs that I'd had all week. Spending time doing nothing with people who have beautiful hearts was one of the most productive things I've done in a long time, and I'm glad that I sacrificed school in order to build community with these friends.
A similar situation happened yesterday. I had gone to my best friend's house for St. Patty's Day. We were supposed to meet up and then head over to another friend's house to hang out and have a good time. But when I got there I found out that my friend's grandmother had died the night before, and her mom was there to tell her the news. Instead of going to celebrate St. Patty's Day with my other friends, I stayed with her for the next 4 hours, doing whatever it is best friends are supposed to do in a time such as that. I still don't know what it is we're supposed to do, everything sort of feels unnatural and gestures feel empty at times like those. But I've come to learn that just the presence of someone you love can make a world of difference, and that a few laughs and some good hugs can change the course of an entire evening.
In both of these situations I sacrificed my desires for self advancement in order to build community - not something that I think I am particularly well known for, even as a Residence Life Don. But in both cases, if felt really good to know that there was something more important than my own personal agenda.
The Bible says that where your treasure lies, there your heart will be also. I think that many people think that this verse is talking about money, which could very well be true, but I also think that this verse is about time. Where we invest our time is where our hearts really lie. Money may be an easy thing to just throw away, but "time is money" as they say, and is a difficult thing to sacrifice. This is especially true for students who don't necessarily have a lot of money, our time is our most valuable asset. We may find it easy to throw a dollar at a charity in the name of goodwill, but investing our time in volunteering, or bettering our society in significant and tangible ways - that's a whole different game to play.
A problem with our society is that we place so much weight on accomplishments and on making sure our actions have easily identifiable benefits. But all the focus on empirical data has denied us of our creativity. You can't measure the worth of spending time with friends, or the value of comforting someone who is hurting. You can't weigh the benefits of investing time in relaxation and learning to actually do something fun, something that makes your heart warm and your smile wide.
So I want to encourage you to look at the way that you use your time, and reevaluate your priorities. What does the way you spend your time say about your heart? Because I know that when I am near death, I want to be able to look back on my life and be able to say that I invested myself in things that were important to me and to my family and friends; things that will last me beyond the grave. If I only get a 90 on my thesis (instead of the 95 I am expecting --> this is a joke, haha) it will have been worth it, because that 5% loss is really an immeasurable gain.
Over the last 2 days I found a clue on the map to my treasure chest. I'm not there yet, I'm still struggling to get my priorities straight and be humble and make sure that the people around me know how much I love and appreciate them. But the past 48 hours were a step in the right direction. Right now, I know where my treasure lies, it's just the getting there that I have to work on.
photo via (we heart it)
At about 11:15am this morning I was on my way to work on my thesis at the library when I decided to stop by the link on campus and see how the 5 students who took on the 5 days for the homeless challenge were doing on their last day. The people that partook in this event are solid people that I really admire. They are charming and non-complainers and sacrificed so much of their time and comfort in order to benefit people that they don't even know. Their actions really made me reflect on how effectively I use my time to benefit my community.
While I was "passing by" I got caught up in sharing food, funny stories, and songs with the small group that had gathered there. I ended up staying there for an hour and half just singing songs, hanging out with friends and throwing a Frisbee around. It was probably the most heart-warming hour and a halfs that I'd had all week. Spending time doing nothing with people who have beautiful hearts was one of the most productive things I've done in a long time, and I'm glad that I sacrificed school in order to build community with these friends.
A similar situation happened yesterday. I had gone to my best friend's house for St. Patty's Day. We were supposed to meet up and then head over to another friend's house to hang out and have a good time. But when I got there I found out that my friend's grandmother had died the night before, and her mom was there to tell her the news. Instead of going to celebrate St. Patty's Day with my other friends, I stayed with her for the next 4 hours, doing whatever it is best friends are supposed to do in a time such as that. I still don't know what it is we're supposed to do, everything sort of feels unnatural and gestures feel empty at times like those. But I've come to learn that just the presence of someone you love can make a world of difference, and that a few laughs and some good hugs can change the course of an entire evening.
In both of these situations I sacrificed my desires for self advancement in order to build community - not something that I think I am particularly well known for, even as a Residence Life Don. But in both cases, if felt really good to know that there was something more important than my own personal agenda.
The Bible says that where your treasure lies, there your heart will be also. I think that many people think that this verse is talking about money, which could very well be true, but I also think that this verse is about time. Where we invest our time is where our hearts really lie. Money may be an easy thing to just throw away, but "time is money" as they say, and is a difficult thing to sacrifice. This is especially true for students who don't necessarily have a lot of money, our time is our most valuable asset. We may find it easy to throw a dollar at a charity in the name of goodwill, but investing our time in volunteering, or bettering our society in significant and tangible ways - that's a whole different game to play.
A problem with our society is that we place so much weight on accomplishments and on making sure our actions have easily identifiable benefits. But all the focus on empirical data has denied us of our creativity. You can't measure the worth of spending time with friends, or the value of comforting someone who is hurting. You can't weigh the benefits of investing time in relaxation and learning to actually do something fun, something that makes your heart warm and your smile wide.
So I want to encourage you to look at the way that you use your time, and reevaluate your priorities. What does the way you spend your time say about your heart? Because I know that when I am near death, I want to be able to look back on my life and be able to say that I invested myself in things that were important to me and to my family and friends; things that will last me beyond the grave. If I only get a 90 on my thesis (instead of the 95 I am expecting --> this is a joke, haha) it will have been worth it, because that 5% loss is really an immeasurable gain.
Over the last 2 days I found a clue on the map to my treasure chest. I'm not there yet, I'm still struggling to get my priorities straight and be humble and make sure that the people around me know how much I love and appreciate them. But the past 48 hours were a step in the right direction. Right now, I know where my treasure lies, it's just the getting there that I have to work on.
photo via (we heart it)
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