Andy Bartel

As the daylight lengthens and our attention spans shorten, we know the end of the school year is drawing near. We all hear the call of springtime, that inner voice that tells us to shed those winter pounds, to get outside and breathe fresh air, to listen to the long-absent bird songs and to feel the warmth of the sun on our skin. We all are guilty of listening to that call of spring, procrastinating against the schoolwork that beckons with a seemingly weaker and weaker cry against the cacophonous calling of spring.

Some of us are thinking seriously about what comes next in life. With graduation impending for our seniors, what is next? Graduate school? Work? A relocation, perhaps? When we come to this crossroad in life, we often are tempted to turn to the call of the spring and procrastinate against weighing our options too heavily. It’s this time of year that I’m most reminded of Samuel’s call in 1 Samuel 3:1-14. From verse 4, “Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ and he said, ‘Here I am!'” Most know the story. Samuel mistakes the Lord’s calling for his mentor, Eli. After the third time, Eli recognizes the call as one from God, and encourages Samuel to answer God, saying, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

Now most of us are not as fortunate as Samuel to hear the Lord’s calling so clearly. For many of us, God’s Calling for us comes in whispers and slight nudges. If we fill our lives with the busy outdoor activities, and yes, even schoolwork, that springtime brings, how will we hear those gentle whisperings? I think it is important this time of year, perhaps more so than any other time in the year, to take time away from the busyness of life and be in quiet communion with God. We need time in daily prayer so that we can be asking what is God’s purpose for me? Where, O Lord, are you calling me?” Perhaps God has big plans for you, volunteering at a summer church camp for a week. Perhaps God has plans for you to work overseas in a third-world country in famine relief for a couple years. Perhaps God is calling you home to your own church to lead a youth group or young adult ministry. The fact is, we’ll never know God’s purpose for us if we don’t take the time to ask and then listen. As finals approach, I will pray for this campus community to have the discipline to make time for studies, play and discernment of God’s will in our lives such that we may each be saying, “Speak, your servant is listening.”