Jesus: Food for the Soul
Recently I spoke at our Tridelta chapter meeting for "Devo." Devo is when a member of the chapter speaks about something that has been on her heart, how God and scripture helped her overcome it and follows her 5 minute speech with a prayer. On a whim, I volunteered to speak. I explained how the first semester of my freshman year was a struggle. I focused all of my time studying; I justified not going to church with the fact that I could study during that period of time. There is no justification for not spending time with God. It wasn't until my mom talked of the Book of Wisdom and I studied it, that I truly understood the fatal flaw of my freshman year.
In the Book of Wisdom within the Catholic Bible, it explains the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. It reveals that God punished the Egyptians with the things they worshiped above God: water to blood, wild animals and their livestock, boils, the thunderstorm or hail and fire, locusts, darkness, and death of the first born. Though these are extreme, it directly correlated with what I experienced. I worshiped school, studying, and my grades, and I definitely did not reap the rewards for all the effort that I exerted. I was nervous to present this to the chapter, because one, not everyone is religious, much less Christian, much less celebrate and honor Lent, and especially not everyone is Catholic. I spoke to all of these things, but tried to leave an open message.
What surprised me was the outpouring of support I received after my meeting. The number of girls that reached out to me was heart-warming. They explained how my talk was relevant in their lives and one of the younger chapter members even contacted me with the idea to begin a "discipleship," a one-on-one type of Bible study. I have never felt so loved and so validated, especially when I wasn't looking for recognition or approval in the slightest bit.
