Ihave a little over a month of school until I can start sleeping in and not worrying about making it on time to chapel. I’m excited, even though I know I am going to miss being here and going to chapel. I know that chapel is far too often seen as a pain in the neck when we would rather be catching up on sleep or studying, but I enjoy it — although I’m currently at the maximum for skips. I like the sense of community that it brings as well as the encouragement I get from some of the speakers and songs. Besides, I have some truly entertaining chapel buddies who keep me on my toes.
Surely someone can tell me what to do when the guy who sits behind me drops his Chapstick repeatedly every week and asks me to pick it up for him. There’s only so long I can keep picking it up, and I don’t know how to ask Mr. Chapped Lips not to drop his prized possession so often.
My fellow chapel-goers seem to have it all together, or at least they fall into these categories.
There are the sleepers, who fall asleep during the very first seconds, or so it seems, of announcements. There are the crammers, who hunch over notes and try to get in some last-minute studying. Then there are the gamers, who play a variety of games on their phones. I can’t begin to tell you how often the two guys in front of me play Candy Crush.
Furthermore, there are the avid communicators, who seem unable to go half an hour without texting, Snapchatting or seeing updates about who is doing or wearing what. There are your listeners, who do what you think they do: listen and pay attention to the speakers in chapel. You also have the ever-faithful chapel tweeters, who inform us of all of their thoughts or opinions concerning chapel. Finally, there are the chapel couples. I think you all know what I mean, and some of you just might be part of this ever-growing group.
Now please don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to hate on anyone. I’m guilty of being, at times, part of all these groups. OK, except for the last one, but I’m blaming the bell tower for that. Or maybe I should be thanking the mystical bell tower instead.
What I’m trying to say is: I think it is quite easy to get distracted in chapel by all sorts of things — your phone, your neighbor, your homework. But despite these distractions, I encourage you to take advantage of this little time we get to come together and glorify Christ.
