{"id":108,"date":"2012-10-11T16:15:59","date_gmt":"2012-10-11T16:15:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/?p=108"},"modified":"2012-10-11T16:15:59","modified_gmt":"2012-10-11T16:15:59","slug":"red-rover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/2012\/10\/11\/red-rover\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Rover"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remember playing Red Rover on the playground as a kid? We would all squeal with glee as we swarmed the field to pick our teams. Then there was the excitement and ecstasy felt when the other team called your name. You would light up and run toward the other line while gathering enough speed to break right through the other kids\u2019 arms. Unfortunately, there were also those times when you overestimated the power of your momentum and got clotheslined. You would find yourself on the ground, clutching your gut and gasping for air while trying to maintain a small shred of childhood dignity.<\/p>\n

With midterms quickly approaching, I imagine most students at California Baptist University feel that way right now \u2014 floored by the weight of our academic ambitions.<\/p>\n

Other people I have talked to were kind of like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

MAKE IT STOP!!!<\/p><\/div>\n

(They made those exact faces, too. Don’t ask me how.)<\/p>\n

Last week was personally a busy one for me. I was hit by exams and papers, some of which were postponed (thanks, Lord). Not surprisingly, this business seems to have reached just about everyone on campus, as well.<\/p>\n

However, it is great how academic crunch time serves as an equalizer for everyone at school \u2014 professors included since they will have a ton of assignments to grade. Even though it has been a little crazy for most of us lately, we should stop and remember the fact that this is exactly what we are all here to do. It is a privilege to be able to learn about your preferred area of study every day. I don\u2019t know about you, but I adore sitting in a classroom. I am \u201cthat\u201d English major who wants nothing more than to read the classics and participate in discussions each day of the week. It is wonderful, productive, and allows me to experience literature that teaches me more about humankind. Okay, okay \u2014 I\u2019ll stop being a nerd now.<\/p>\n

In the midst of the papers and exams, I am reminded that breaks are good, as well. I received a wise reminder once again from my grandpa this week: \u201cYou need to make time to smell the flowers, not just grow them.\u201d<\/p>\n

I had the opportunity to \u201csmell the flowers\u201d one night this week while taking a study break during a worship event for Seek Week, an annual week of events organized to set students\u2019 minds on the Creator. I found myself in need of the time to separate myself from the agenda I had planned out in my mind and refocus on why I am actually here at CBU. I spent the time reflecting on the sheer goodness of our God and how much He continues to love us. He deserves glory, and we are here to learn to live up to our full potential in order to serve Him more.<\/p>\n

Yes, we may occasionally find ourselves unexpectedly clotheslined by the weight of our assignments, the challenging of our ideas or a surprising turn of events. However, that should not stop us from playing the “Red Rover” of life all through our lives. I realize that I am blessed way beyond what I deserve. Throughout the blessings and stresses that come with being in college, I feel constantly thankful for the community I find at CBU. I cannot rave enough about the genuine, godly people I have met and about the opportunities we have to serve God at this university. We all occasionally need to remind ourselves of how loved we are.<\/p>\n

So for all of us who are becoming overwhelmed, let\u2019s take a break. Drink coffee. Invest in a friend you have not seen all week. Learn to dance Oppa Gangnam Style. Do whatever it is you have to do to remember that God is good, laughter is healthy and life is gorgeous.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll leave you with the words that have been replaying in my mind over the past two weeks: \u201cSeek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you\u201d (Matthew 6:33, ESV).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Remember playing Red Rover on the playground as a kid? We would all squeal with glee as we swarmed the field to pick our teams. Then there was the excitement and ecstasy felt when the other team called your name. You would light up and run toward the other line while gathering enough speed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aubrey-macmillan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/lancerdiaries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}