So Rezweek's begun again. For those of you who aren't in the know, Rezweek stands for Resurrection Week, which takes place every year in Spring at The University of Texas, around Easter. It's a time when all the various campus ministries join forces, lay aside differences, and come together for a week long celebration which includes a 24-hour prayer tent, bands, speakers, a coffee house and more.
Being a Longhorn myself (and a very school-spirited, highly enthusiastic one at that), and now working full-time for Campus Renewal Ministries , this makes my 4th Rezweek, and a time during the year where I find myself thinking a lot about faith and relationships and the people around us. At UT alone, we have 50,000 students. Think about it. Imagine what 50,000 students could do.
We have a new saying at UT now - What starts here changes the world. It's a saying that my ministry has come to believe in very much. Not that we're saying that UT students are going to own the world, but that tomorrow's future lies in the hands of today's college students. At least, that's something that I felt God impress upon me not too long ago, and I think it makes sense, a whole lot of sense.
Because what I saw is this: 95% of the people who are going to have the most influence in this world are today's college students. Why? Because they are tomorrow's presidents, doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers, teachers, journalists... the list goes on. They are the ones entering the world full of passion, dreams, and the energy and determination to go after things and make them happen. They will dictate tomorrow's society, their mindsets are a glimpse into the future.
And I suppose maybe why that thought carries more weight with me now than it did before is that I'm at that age now. I'm in that transition phase, exchanging books and tests and papers for a strange new world filled with meetings and schedules and co-workers and being self-reliant... in essence, life outside of being a student. As my sis simply put it, "welcome to adulthood." Only in my case, I still find myself surrounded by college students, but this time, I have a different purpose.
So that brings us back to Rezweek, a time where collegiate Christians at UT unite and worship out in the open for everyone else to see. A time where we forget about what we might look like to the rest of the world and walk in the boldness of faith. A time where we reach out and attempt to demonstrate the love and relationship we have with our Lord and Creator to other students who have yet to know Him. A time where we hope, little by little, to see things change.
Impact the students, and you impact the world.
The more I go on, the more aware I've become of how much we play a part in influencing each other's lives, in our daily interactions, in the time we spend together. And it really makes me think about what I'm saying to others, how I'm acting, because really, what if my words and actions could be affecting someone who's going to go out and lead the world tomorrow?
I believe that students are a life force within themselves, and I don't want to be part of a generation that others say is going down the drain. Because there is too much at stake, and so much that still needs to be done. If we really want to see things happen, then we should stop talking and worrying about the future, and instead start investing in those who have the power to change it for the better. In other words, if you really want to make a difference, don't focus on the future, focus on it's leaders.
Do you believe students can change the world?
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