SWEET FRIENDS!
We have been on the road for 34 days, been to 33 campuses, and traveled over 3,000 miles so far. We have spoken with students, faculty, and innocent bystanders in 17 states, prayed many prayers, cried many tears, and taken lots of selfies, haha. We have seen the power of the Holy Spirit meet us in a 200 year old chapel at Yale University. We have seen the kindness of the Father encounter young women at the University of New Hampshire. We have met with professors and presidents of Universities. We have walked around campuses and released songs of the goodness of the Lord. We have seen middle schoolers give their lives to the one true living God. We have meet with student prayer leaders at West Point Military Academy who have diligently prayed an hour a day for the past 4 years for an outpouring of the presence of God in their lives and on their campus. And let me tell you – GOD MOVES ON THE PRAYERS OF HIS PEOPLE.
One of the most frequent prayer requests I’ve heard from students is for wisdom in how to better manage their time. I’ve heard at least one student on every single campus we’ve been to say they have too much going on and not enough time to get it all done. I understand that college is stressful and the work load seems, at times, unbearable – but I believe this exhaustion comes from a generational fear of missing out. I’ve noticed over the past month that millenials tend to get involved in multiple clubs, activities, and get togethers because we have an underlining fear of missing out. As a result, we make decisions based out of that fear and find ourselves constantly exhausted.
My concern is that this generational fear transcends beyond the walls of a dorm room or the perimeters of a university campus and onto our relationship with God. My heart is heavy because the Father has invited us into a place of rest and communion with Him – I’ve seen in my own life and in the lives of my peers that we so easily pass up that invitation of communion because we don’t want to miss out on what is going on in the world around us. Rest and communion look different for every person but I want to encourage you to be intentional about taking time to just be with the Father.
Not only have I seen that we are unconsciously refusing to enter into a place of rest, but we are living in fear of missing what God has called us to. We put so much pressure on ourselves to make sure we don’t do the wrong thing that we end up becoming crippled by our fear of getting it wrong when in reality, we are called to not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we are to present our requests to the Lord. AND THE PEACE OF GOD which transcends all knowledge and understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4) It’s only from that place of communion and rest that we find peace and clarity about what we are to do. My prayer has been and will continue to be GRACE TO REST. It sounds silly, but really, we need to give ourselves freedom and grace to just be – to make ourselves available and spend intentional time just listening.
Please join me in praying for my generation – that we would have wisdom in what to invest our time and energy in and that we would give Jesus more time to speak into our hearts and minds than culture and society. Pray that we wouldn’t buy into the lie that we need to be busy all the time in fear of missing out. Pray for freedom to enter His rest.
So much love, EMILYDEE
If you have any questions or would like to contact me, please shoot an email my way at: emily.tharaldson@gmail.com
emilydee 