For many of us, the return to campus after the Easter holiday means that we are just a few short weeks away from the end of another academic year…
And with that comes a fairly intense season through which we try to help our students cope with their stress and anxiety levels… and hopefully keep everything in proper perspective.
It’s a shame, really, that Easter falls when it does in the academic year… because I think it provides some important moments of truth, clarity, and orientation for students — that quickly gets swamped by the tidal wave of end-of-the-term projects, papers, and exams that hit them upon their return to campus at the end of the Easter holiday.
So I find myself wondering…
How do we keep Easter at the forefront of our conversations with students over these final weeks of the year?
The reality is that Jesus’ death and resurrection have changed everything — forever!
But our students (and I suppose, us too) don’t always live in light of this reality.
They allow themselves to be overcome by the pressures and worries of the day — as if life were solely dependent upon them — but it’s not.
Not only did Jesus die on the cross to re-establish a right relationship with God, but He demonstrated His power to overcome when He conquered death and rose from the grave. And then He ascended into heaven to advocate for us at the right hand of God.
We have a God who cares about us — and all that we face in this world.
We have a Savior that has conquered far more than end-of-the-term pressures (as real as they are).
And we have an Advocate in heaven who speaks to the Father on our behalf — about all that we need.
Somehow we need to help our students to better live in light of these truths — all year long — and especially during this closing season on campus.
How do you keep the truths of Easter in front of students year round?
How do you challenge students, especially during intense seasons of life, to live in light of all that Jesus has done (and is currently doing) for them?
How do you help students to understand that all that Easter represents really has changed everything — forever?!
