Rick Hove,
Executive Director of Faculty Commons,
A Ministry of Cru
[Sept.3, 2013]– It may seem obvious, but we can be only one place at one time. Still, our minds race to the departmental meeting, to our unfinished applications, or to those yet to be written lectures. Resist it as we may, we can’t be in two places at once.
Naturally distracted by unrelenting cries for attention from somewhere else, we find ourselves unable to be fully present where we are. And if we’re honest, we miss out on the people and places right in front of us – the people and places God specifically brought our way.
I remember an English professor from VCU sharing her discovery that God “gets into” a boring departmental meeting through her. When she turns to the colleague and asks, “How is your family?” she finds God using her, entering into that one locale through her, beginning to do His work.
At this time of year countless students show up—for academic advising, seeking clarity regarding the syllabus, introducing themselves to you as their professor. We can easily view these times as interruptions. Yet, in reality these moments with a student seated in front of you, in a specific locale, is exactly where God wants you to be. Or when you enter the classroom, being fully present may ultimately be more important than the lecture you’re giving.
The University of California announced that this fall it admitted a record number of 82,850 freshmen into its system. Nationwide — it’s difficult to get an exact number – some 3-4 million freshmen are stepping onto campus for the first time.
What a strategic opportunity for a Christian professor to be fully present, to listen, to connect, and to care for each of these lives!
We dream in Faculty Commons that one day every freshman in America will have at least one opportunity to study under a Christian professor. We long to see the day when every student will come to class perhaps shocked by words like this spoken by a professor fully present:
“I’m Dr. Austin. Let me tell you a little about myself. I’ve grown up my whole life in New England. I’m a huge gardener – love to talk about roses if you’re into that. One thing you might find interesting about me is that I’m a Christian. You won’t hear much about it in class, but this shapes everything about who I am. I love Biochemistry, and I’m excited about our time together this semester. I’m looking forward to getting to know more about each of you as we are on this journey together.”
As faculty, we have a unique platform to speak into the lives of our colleagues and students—especially if we’re sensitive enough to engage the moments God sends our way each day.
Here is a prayer I’m praying this fall. Maybe it will be helpful to you:
“Lord, Make me be fully present in every conversation and circumstance, to view each interaction as a gift from you, that I may do your work, blessing the world to which you’ve sent me. Use me to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to my peers, students, department, discipline … to all the people and places you’ve called me – one opportunity at a time.”
(c) 2013 Rick Hove