Unfortunately, I have not been able
to meet with my mentor, Mike, in person for quite some time now. While I am
here finishing up at Wheaton, he is preparing for the minor league season to
begin in Indiana. Nonetheless, despite not being able to meet face to face we
were able to have a really good conversation recently. Honestly, I’ve never
thought that I liked Wheaton, or college in general until quite recently. After
coming back from spring break, though, it suddenly hit me that I only have a
few weeks left at Wheaton. It has only been in the past couple of weeks that I
have fully been able to appreciate how much of a blessing this school has been
on my life. I have a wonderful group of friends that I have never had before,
and I have learned and grown more here at Wheaton than I ever thought was
possible. This is really the first time
that I have realized how good of an experience Wheaton has been, and how much
I’m going to miss this time in life.
Talking to Mike, who is in his
forties, about this topic was quite enlightening. He echoes some of the same
sentiments that I was feeling. He, like me, tends to rush through things,
always focusing on what is coming next rather than enjoying and fully
appreciating the present. Not only is this counterproductive in terms of
appreciating the present, but it is also a sinful tendency. God has blessed us
with so much in the present, and when we focus too much on what is coming in
the future, we end up being unappreciative of his current provisions for us. We
are meant to be fully appreciative of the incredible blessings we have now. For
me, and for Mike as well, we face the temptation of not thanking God for the
present, but rather always looking to the future. On one level, it is good to
be driven and looking forward to the future, but Mike really tried to remind me
that we must be thankful for the current place that our lives are. Therefore,
he really encouraged me to fully appreciate the last few weeks of college,
especially with the great friends that I have. For all of us, there will come a
time soon enough when we won’t be able to have all of our best friends in one
small place, and we wont have as much freedom as we do now. It may seem
obvious, but it is an important reminder for those of us about to move to the
next phase of life, to live in the present and not wish things away.
Nathan, I'm glad you were able to have such an enriching conversation with Mike! I agree that we have a tendency to work frantically towards goals, while risking that we miss out the experiences that make life worthwhile. It's altogether too easy to make idols of our ideals, and forget to slow down and enjoy the beauty of everyday things. Hope the last weeks of college treat you well, and I'm sure you'll find success wherever minor league baseball and life take you.
ReplyDeleteNathan, this is an excellent perspective. I too have a propensity to rush through things. It is hard to remember to slow down and enjoy the college experience, although this is something that I feel I have been learning to do just recently. It's great that God has been teaching you to do this, and that He is using the people in your life to help you learn it as well!
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