Inspire, Spring 2010

my cedarv i l le Just One More Thing So, if you’re keeping track, I headed into my junior year as a member of the banquet committee and DAE, as well as co-captain of the Model U.N. team. All that on top of being a full-time student, pursuing a major and three minors, and holding a part-time job. Then, two weeks before school started, the banquet chair announced she wasn’t returning to Cedarville. The class officers and advisors asked me to consider taking the position. After praying about it, I felt God saying He wanted me to do this. Yes, I was scared, again, but believed God knew what He was doing. In October, Peter Brandt ’10, junior class president, asked if I would run as his vice presidential candidate for the Student Government Association (SGA). I was speechless for about three minutes. Although flattered, I was uncertain whether this was something God wanted me to do. I asked Peter for a week to think and pray about this huge decision. Running for SGA would be a lot of work with no guarantee we’d win, and I already had so many responsibilities. But as I reflected on my college journey, I heard God saying this was something He’d been preparing me for. I had a choice between believing my fears of inadequacy or trusting this was an opportunity to learn about God and myself. Again, He reminded me it’s about the journey, not the destination. By the end of the week, I had accepted Peter’s offer. A Balancing Act Going into the spring semester of my junior year, everything seemed to hit at once. In January, we started preparing for the SGA election and began campaigning a month later. Primaries were February 13, followed by the general election. The Junior/Senior Banquet was just around the corner, and Model U.N. regionals were in February, with nationals in April. Not to mention DAE, classes, my job, and, yes, friends. What I didn’t have time for was sleep. On February 20, Peter and I won the election. I was already sleep-deprived at this point, and spring break came just in time. I headed home to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and that first night I slept 17 hours straight. When my mom finally woke me up, we had a long talk. I had reached a breaking point. I was finding my worth in what I could accomplish, rather than having faith that God could do it all without me. God put me in those positions to make me more like Himself and use me to reflect Him to others — but I was not irreplaceable. My parents reminded me I needed to find a middle ground and remember that while God was choosing to use me, He didn’t need me. When I was back at school, I returned to my room every night and prayed for endurance to finish strong. In completing that semester, God taught me what it looked like to let go of busyness. He wanted me to surrender the results and trust that I’d done what He’d asked of me. I’ve learned that blessings can sometimes bring challenges and it really is all about the journey. I’m still pretty busy, but I’m finding that balance. And I’m even getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night! Clara Gebert ’10 will graduate from Cedarville in May with a major in international studies. You may contact her at claralgebert@cedarville.edu . Sharyn Kopf is a freelance writer in Clifton, Ohio. She has previously worked as a newspaper reporter and spent more than seven years as an award-winning radio writer for Focus on the Family. You may contact her at shari2t17@gmail.com . “I realized God is of ten more concerned with the journey than with the destination.” CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY 17 i