In coming up with what I would write for this article, I went through many potential ideas. I could complain about how those banners in the Prince Engineering Center and Harold Science Hall are really annoying to duck under every time I walk past or how most ceiling fans are too low for me to feel 100 percent comfortable standing under them. (If you don’t know who I am, l suppose this would be a good time to say that my height comes in at about 6’9”). These ideas are OK, but I wanted to write about something that more people than just me could relate to.
I settled on taking a look at Oklahoma Christian University’s threefold motto: OC is Home. OC Grows. OC is Mission. OC is Home is probably the most common part said around campus. For some, this probably brings to mind nice thoughts of how Oklahoma Christian is one big happy family who worships together at chapel and eats together at the caf, and Neil Arter is our dad.
I honestly have no clue what OC Grows is about; I just assume it’s some sort of new agricultural initiative we’ll be hearing about in chapel one of these days.
But I wanted to talk about how OC is Mission. I think this aspect of Oklahoma Christian is one that is often overlooked.
As Christians, we are called to serve others. God has given us all different skills and abilities, and we need to use them to further his kingdom. If you’re anything like me, then you’re probably not really sure what your gifts are. Don’t let that stop you; you’ll never know unless you just go out there and find out. During my time here at Oklahoma Christian, I have been blessed with the opportunity to go different places and serve. Some of these have been distant lands, like Rwanda or Haiti, while others have been right in our backyard – places like Capitol Hill or the Jesus House in downtown Oklahoma City. Although each of these places offered vastly different experiences, they all helped to broaden my worldview and challenged me to grow spiritually. There are so many different opportunities we hear about; try different things and see what fits.
I know you’re probably thinking, “But Jonathan, how will I ever find the time to get away from homework to do all this?” Well, we all know that school can be pretty stressful at times. But I have found that taking some time to go and do something for others is a great stress reliever, giving you a chance to forget about studying for that next test or doing homework for a little while. I’m not saying that school stuff isn’t important; it certainly is. But I think that the experience we gain through our service adds to our education and better prepares us for going out into the real world.
So next time you and Papa Neil are talking about all the cool crops growing in the community garden, make sure you ask him about service opportunities and how you can get involved.
Jonathan Wagner is a senior at Oklahoma Christian University
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