Choose the path
Burned out by all of my leadership roles in academy, I promised myself that when I came to Union College, I would lay low and focus on my studies. I laugh when I think about that now. Clearly something went wrong if that was my goal. If I could go back and talk to myself, I would tell myself it wouldn't be that easy.
It’s easy to take freshman year slowly, but after that, it’s a whirlwind. Union College isn’t large, so it’s easy to become familiar with most staff, faculty and students. Then, when we’re familiar with campus, we start noticing things that aren’t great and need to be improved.
At this point, there is a fork in the road. The wide, well-traveled road is marked “Passive Road,” and the narrow way (that might need a bit of bushwhacking) is marked “Active Path.”
The Passive Road for us to take requires no effort to make change. We can see the problems, but instead of stepping up and doing something, we ignore it and complain about it, often hiding in the form of rumors or anonymous gossip.
The Active Path takes effort. It means spending a lot of time outside of classes working, or even volunteering your time to make change happen. Choosing to step up also means a lot of discomfort.
While there is safety in comfort, there is rarely reward without risk. And while I love feeling safe and comfortable, I am inspired and encouraged by promises God gave us. He knew we wouldn’t want to step out of the crowd, so He continually promised support and encouragement. I find personal comfort in Joshua 1:9, the famous call to Joshua to step into Moses’s shoes and lead the Israelites into Canaan: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (ESV)”
I often feel almost embarrassed to compare what stepping out means for me to what Joshua had to do. I call on this verse when I’m anxious about standing up front and speaking, and that hardly compares to leading millions of people into a foreign land. But that does not invalidate the message that God’s word has for all of us. Words that changed lives thousands of years ago still change our lives today.
Everyday, we wake up and stand at the crossroads and make the conscious decision of which route we will take. Are we going to let the day go by, or are we going to create change?
By Annelise Jacobs