Hey Student Leadership Team!! (or “Hey Ya’ll” as they say
here in Tennessee :)
I could fill hundreds of pages with heartfelt stories,
hilarious moments, and cherished memories of my time at AU, but for now I will
share with you one of the greatest lessons I learned during my time as a
Student Leader. I hope that it can encourage some of you.
I was so blessed to cross paths with so many people that
encouraged me, challenged me, and showed me what it really means to walk by faith. I think we can all
agree that being a part of Student Leadership has it’s challenges. In the midst of trying to balance classes,
jobs, relationships, friends, and hobbies (just to name a few) life can be
stressful.
My biggest stronghold when I first began as a Student Leader
was believing that I had to do everything myself (because who knows better than
me right?.... wrong!). This is a lot of
pressure and a very stressful position to put yourself in. But this is where I learned what faith is: Faith is working and walking in a position where
if God doesn’t come through you are in trouble.
I realize this is much easier said than done and nobody
desires to be “in trouble”. But let’s
look at it this way…if we know we can do something…what do we need God for?
Living by faith requires you to be dependent
and desperate for God to move. Desperate? Dependent?....not typically how we
want to describe ourselves, but this is where we are allowing God to intervene
and bless the work we are doing.
When I am struggling to live by faith I catch myself saying
things like:
“I can’t figure this out..”
“There isn’t time for me to..”
“I don’t have what I need to..”
“I won’t get enough volunteers..”
Does any of this sound familiar?? It is an easy trap to fall into because of
what the world expects us to be; which is to be independent, to get things
done, and to do it efficiently. Sounds difficult,
right??
“Dear
brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity
for great joy. For when your faith is
tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be
perfect and complete, needing nothing.” - James 1: 2-4
As a leader you are going to be put into situations or put
yourself in a situation where you are "in over your head.” Let your vision be bigger than your
worries. See your struggles and
challenges as opportunities to grow in faith.
How do we do this??
First of all, get involved in something bigger than yourself.
Secondly, encourage each other (Negativity
is toxic).
Pray about it.
Trust that God will come through and he will.
“Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for
what he has done. Then you will
experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as
you live in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4: 6-7
I am so thankful that I had teachers, leaders, and friends
in my life who taught me to see that God is bigger than my problems. It is such a relief to know that I don’t have
to do anything by myself. Rely on God and he will surely bless you and bring
you peace regarding any challenge that comes your way.
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As a part of the Prison Ministry we
held a day camp for kids with incarcerated parents every other Saturday. This is a picture of a group that we were
able to take to the Indianapolis Zoo.
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Thank you all for using your gifts to serve
others! I wish you the very best in all
of your adventures yet to come!
God Bless!
Meredith Tarplee
Peer Mentor, 2010-2011
Prison Ministry Coordinator,
2011-2012
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