Last Friday morning I read about the tragedy that happened on the campus of Northern Illinois University. I had some time to reflect on the incident and there were some lessons and reminders for me:
2) The urgency to reach campuses around the world. In light of all the craziness that happened in Virginia Tech and now NIU, the need for the Gospel to penetrate the campuses is becoming more blaring clear. These students will be the next generation leaders for our society. What would happen if more people are transformed with the power of the Gospel message? We would see a different society in the future.
3) There are many lonely and hurting people in the world, especially on the college campuses. What if we all saw people the way God sees them? I think many of us would not be able to bear the burden. There are so many people who are in desperate need to experience a touch from God. Sometimes the only way they will be able to experience it is by encountering a Christ-follower who is really living out the Gospel message. We need to pray and open our eyes and ask God to reap the harvest field.
4) We need to raise up and train more people in our church to reach the campus. I had the opportunity to eat at a dorm recently and I was overwhelmed with the myriad of opportunities to talk with people. So often we get caught up in our own little world that we don’t see the lost people around. What if we prayed everyday this kind of prayer – “Lord, help me to see what you see, hear what you hear, and feel what you feel.” We might be pleasantly surprised.
5) Life is short and we have to live everyday with purpose and passion. It is so easy to get up in the morning and just go through the routine of life. But when tragedy like this happens, it is like a wake up call for us. We have to live every day as if it is our last. This will radically change the way we look at any given day.
NIU Students gathering after the tragedy. What would it be like if students gathered like this to seek God on campus?