I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that you continue to celebrate as we remember today the Magi who traveled miles to visit the new born King.
As students also travel miles to return for classes (today or in the coming weeks), they too many be looking to encounter the Savior. As great as breaks may be for some students, they can also be rough for others.
I often think of semester breaks as a preview or pilot of what life after college might look like. These breaks are like mini transitions for students. Instead of just asking “how was break?” and moving on after a one word answer, we have the opportunity to help students truly self-reflect on their time.
Some students will have wonderful support over break to encourage them while others have the opposite. It’s during break that students often find out what sharing their faith looks like when they may not have the social momentum of a campus outreach to spur them on. Or they may discover that their bible becomes a coaster when a mentor isn’t holding them accountable to read it.
I remember processing with a student who had an “awful” (her words) break last year. She went home for a week and it was a “disaster.” She struggled with her relationship with her parents. She slipped into old sin patters, and her faith (which seemed so strong when surrounded by her peers at college) felt paper thin.
We need to help students process these mini transitions because they are often previews to bigger ones.
Here are some tips for transitional times (click below), which might be especially helpful as you think about students who just graduated last month. Now is the perfect time to drop a quick line or text to see how they are doing.
May this Epiphany inspire encounters with the King for you and your students,
Erica
PS Keep your eye on your inbox in the next week or so. I’m rolling out something super exciting you won’t want miss!
