Weekly Update #9: Starfish

First and foremost, I would like to state how great it was to see so many of you while I was home in the past week! I would start naming names of who I was delighted to see, but the list would be endless! Thank you all for your deep encouragement; please know that you all mean so much to me.

For those of you who have been consistently reading my updates, you know that during the first few weeks of college I was having great yearning for having one or several "starfish." At Calvary, Pastor Chuck spent much time last year speaking of how each of us ought to have at least one person (or "starfish") that we can influence for the Gospel. The analogy comes from a boy who is standing by a seashore throwing starfish back into the ocean after they were washed up on shore. An old man looks at him and asks "What's the point of throwing those starfish back into the ocean? There are hundreds of starfish here that are still on the shore, and many more that are continuing to be washed in. What's the point? Surely you can't save them all." The young boy looks at the man and says, "But what do you think this meant for the starfish I just threw back in the sea?" The moral of the story is that we ought not to be discouraged because of the difficulty it is to reach the world and its brokenness in its entirety, but rather be encouraged by the fact that we truly can have an influence on the small number of people around us.

Coming to college, it was difficult for me to go from a place where I had a broad impact on others to a place where I did not. Back at home, I had many students younger than me that I was constantly pouring into, as well as many coworkers and friends that I was able to share the Gospel with. But at college, I quickly realized that everyone around me was older than me, and most of them much more mature than me as well. Yes, they could use my encouragement, but it's not the same as pouring into someone who's younger than you and looks up to you. I was originnally discouraged by this, until I had a fellow church member back at home who changed my mindset on it entirely.

My brother at church back at home sent me an email, and proposed that this time in my life was not a time for me to have a starfish, but a time to be a starfish. This statement changed my mindset completely, and through the past few weeks of college I was able to embrace the fact that right now, God has many people pouring into me, and to not take that for granted. Yes, we ought to always seek to pour into others, and I am surely doing so in many ways. Nonetheless, I deffinitely am more of a starfish than I am a starfish-influencer at the moment. Yet, this has given me an opportunity to find joy in being poured into--to find rest in the fact that this primarily is a season for learning, not primarily a season for teaching.

The reason why I am saying all this is to point great thanks to all of you who allowed me to be a starfish-influencer at home in this past week. Many of you gave me opportunities to influence others in ways this past week (such as through the leading of communion at SatCom and volunteering at DodgeThis), or allowed me to influence you (such as Small Group and private mentoring sessions). I write this weekly update to thank you for allowing me to take what I have learned here at college and use it practically. Those numerous opportunities in the past week shaped me greatly, and I am very thankful for them. Praise the Lord!

Once again, it was so good to see so many of you this past week. Walworth County, Wisconsin is certainly my home, even though it deffinitely feels a lot different now that I am not fully "there." On the other hand, Boyce College feels like "home" because this is where I spent the majority of my time as well as enjoy great community with others. Nonetheless, God enables us to find contentment in all things (Phillipians 4:13), even when I am living with two "homes." Praise the Lord for his sufficiency!

Prayer Requests...

• Contentment. As I alluded to above, I feel like I have two "homes." My heart is thoroughly confused, to say the least. Pray that I might find joy in this by the power Christ (Phillipians 4). Pray that God also might shape my heart to desire what he desires for me, day by day, as things so quickly change.

• Good Personal Devotion Time.

• The Power to Love Others Selflessly.

• Perseverance. Getting back into the "swing of things" after break is going to be challenging. Pray that I might have strength in my classes and schoolwork.

I am praying for many of you as well.

With Love,

Matthew.