“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
Colossians 3:15
There are few times in life as free as being a student in college. For the first time in my life, I am on my own and can decide for myself how to spend my days. I can go hang out with friends whenever I want to. I can choose to study whenever I want to. I can decide to not do anything productive whenever I want to. It becomes easy to be wrapped up in my own day to day affairs and lose sight of what’s really important. Admittedly, I fall into this trap pretty often.
A teacher I had this last year began each class with meditation. For five minutes or so we would sit in our desks, backs straight, feet on the floor, and hands resting on our thighs. At face value it was a nice time to relax during the day, a kid even fell asleep once. Over time though, I came to look forward to the occasion every Tuesday and Thursday. When chatting about the class with my roommate, I brought up the class and learned that he’s been meditating most days for the past year and a half.
However, he’s adapted this meditation to serve his faith and I have since as well. Rather than explicitly praying during this time, I have come to learn to be mindful about the blessings I have in my life. It is in this day to day period of time that I consciously live my faith and I recommend others to try it out as well. To take a step back to be at peace and actively reflect on our blessings leads me to a deeper and more present appreciation of God’s work in my busy life as a student.
Max Raisleger
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