What does chapel mean to you? If you asked me this question last year, my answer would have been dramatically different than it is now. It is time for me to get real honest with you all because last year, I would have responded that it was a requirement that I had to attend in order to avoid disciplinary action from the university. I went to chapel with one goal, which was to reduce the number of credits I needed. I would sit in a seat and zone out during the speakers. I never went to chapel with the intent to learn.
This year, my perspective has flipped. Instead of viewing chapel as an obligation, I view it as an opportunity.
“Chapel serves as such a unique time, where we can come together as a campus and praise God through worshipping and listening to His word.” – Emily Wilder
UNW Worship Team members leading students on a Friday Praise Chapel
It is so unique and special that UNW has set aside time for students to worship and learn about God as a community. You may be wondering what made my perspective about the topic switch. I was listening to a sermon from Berean Baptist, a church in Burnsville, MN, when the pastor said,
“When God IS your foundation, you HAVE a firm foundation.” – Pastor Deven MacDonald of Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville, MN
I felt compelled to reflect on where my foundation was; I quickly found that I was not standing on the firm foundation that God had provided for me. I was trying to make my own way in my life, which is not what God wants for us. Not wanting to go to the chapel was not the whole picture of what was going on in my life, but it was an eye-opener to my heart posture.
Chapels can be long, entertaining, basic, and informative, but the truth is, if you have a hard heart against learning, you will get nothing out of the chapel. My question to you is how is your heart when you are in chapel? Are you trying to only get credits completed, or are you going with the intent to listen?
