“It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13, English Standard Version). This message from Paul is the same message that underlies my vision for this school year.
Fundamentally, I believe people have “good” within them. I am convinced that people desire goodness and that this desire comes from the image of God being stamped upon them. The problem arises when Satan distorts our desire for good into something else.
Nonetheless, I cling to the idea of goodness because I know the power of God is beyond anything we can ever fathom. I want to be connected to that power and want to help others connect to that power.
This year’s Student Association theme is “Connections.” The theme was born out of a desire to give Harding students whatever resources they need to connect with God and bring his goodness into the world. As mentioned at the beginning of the year, the resources we want to provide are horizontal connections to other students, faculty, staff and the community. These horizontal connections are critical because they provide a foundation to reach vertically toward God. However, they would not be complete without God reaching down to solidify this foundation.
During the first 10 weeks of this school year, I have seen God connecting students with people across campus and across the world. Harding University and Academy students donated countless stuffed animals to displaced children in LaPlace, La., after Hurricane Isaac. On these same trips, many Harding students worked with the Lawson family to help with other relief efforts in the community. On Sept. 14, students gathered to study the book of James as part of “Secret Church.” A few weeks ago, a team of Harding students and faculty provided the opportunity to connect with other schools and to God at the Global Missions Experience. Two weeks ago, many students participated in Relay for Life to help raise money for cancer awareness and research.
I regularly hear stories of organizations such as HUmanity and Smiles for Christ doing God’s work. I also hear stories of students taking a more active role in personal Bible study and prayer. I cannot sum up what God is doing on this campus because there is simply too much that he is doing.
My prayer for the remainder of the year is that we continue to see the power of the image of God and his Spirit who is within us. Furthermore, I pray that all of the good work we attempt to do this year and all of the connections we attempt to make are established in the Lord. After all, “our competence comes from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5, New International Version).
