I've been visiting colleges last week with my daughter. Four colleges, four different locales, in four days. If I'm honest I wasn’t starting my day asking for God to help me see Him more clearly, or love him more dearly, or even follow him particularly closely. Rather I was trying not to leave a trail of clothes in various hotel rooms, trying to consider the best way to navigate traffic, and wondering if it is possible to home school your child on the way to a Bachelor of Arts degree. In other words, how in the world do people pay for all this?
One of the things that struck me about the Admissions presentation at each school was the absolute silence regarding spiritual life on campus. Ironic for a student of American history like myself, because I know full well each of these private colleges were founded by people of faith, in most cases in order to educate Christian leaders, pastors, etc.
On the tour of one campus, founded by the Episcopal Church, I had to ask if the beautiful church near the center of campus was still in use and if so by whom. The tour guide said, “Yes” but little more.
At a college founded by progressive Quakers, one of the parents asked if having values grounded in Christianity made the philosophy of the school exclusive in some way. I really wanted the Admissions rep to say Yes, we were founded by followers of Jesus who had decidedly passionate beliefs about cooperation, equality, and discerning your own path in life with God's help. Alas, his answer was less assertive and more conciliatory than I would have liked.
Every single club, sport, activity, academic pursuit, and social connection were laid out on the table and not a single school said a word about spiritual formation, Christian organizations, or any community of students pursuing a deeper, richer walk with God. And these were all schools that have their roots and history wrapped up in being overtly Christian institutions!
As far as I can tell these Admissions professionals were doing their best to 'sell' us on their colleges. They were addressing the issues, opportunities, and questions that they know High School students are eager to discuss and hear. I just find it sad that high school students aren't eager to hear about how they might find opportunities to continue their spiritual growth in their college years. If it were important to high school juniors and seniors it would show up in these presentations. The fact that it didn't tells me that it just isn't that important to a large majority. They want to grow intellectually, socially, physically, vocationally but whether or not they grow in their love of God and love for others evidently doesn't rise to the level of a single brochure or talking point.
I know, I know. These aren't overtly Christian institutions any longer. They may have a Bishop on their Board of Trustees, or they might have a beautiful Chapel nestled somewhere on the campus grounds, but facilitating the spiritual growth of their students is no longer part of their mission as they see it. Engagement with the world is growing more and more important, that is clear. But the reason for that engagement seems a little vague and sketchy without a moral mandate, transcendent purpose, or higher calling. That’s because once upon a time a priority was put upon educating the whole student: body, mind, and spirit. When you drop the spiritual emphasis, engaging the world is about ‘doing good’ for goodness sake.
This is really a long way around the barn to say that sometimes when we look for God we don’t find Him—at least in the ways we think we should. Is God moving in and through those campuses? Of course! I’m guessing God is being God in powerful, unsuspecting ways. I just mourn the fact that the institutional leaders don’t recognize that publicly—that they aren’t looking for signs of spiritual growth and celebrating it as much as they are celebrating the academic and social growth and accomplishments of their student bodies.
It is promised that when we look for God with our whole hearts we will find Him. But that phrase “with our whole hearts” is an important qualifier. We may or may not bump into God as God moves through our day, through our schools, at our work place, in our homes. But that would be nothing more than dumb luck. Really finding God—Seeing God More Clearly—takes an investment of our hearts and wills. That’s why I think the Chichester Prayer is so powerful. It makes pursuing God front and center when we make that prayer front and center in our daily conversation with God. And of course, there is a promise implied. When we ask, when we come to God honestly and wholly—when we bring our whole heart to bear—God makes himself known to us in new and life changing ways.
May you find renewed commitment and energy to see, love, and follow our God each and every day.
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