Walk by faith, not by sight

photo by Ashleigh Ward

Over the last four years, I have been part of a wonderful staff that God led me to in freshman year. Not only has The Verve Newspaper brought me some of the best friends I could ever ask for, it has helped teach me how to be a leader.

Going back through old photographs, seeing the places I’ve been, the people I’ve come to know, to love, to call family, reminds me of how fortunate I really am. My first significant leadership role was in a classroom. I was in sixth grade, and after trying to find a small group, I decided to help out in the Children’s Ministry at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. Every Sunday, I helped in fourth-grade classrooms, and after two months, I substituted for absent teachers.

I’ll admit that church originally felt like a chore to me, and when I first started helping in the Children's Ministry, I was not looking to serve others or change the lives of the children I was setting an example for. However, as I began to teach, I discovered that while I originally took on the role for my personal gain, I learned how to use the strengths God gave me to serve others. Six years later, I still go in every Sunday to help in a variety of classes and have had the privilege to train others to do the same.

I had a similar mentality joining The Verve. I went in focused on myself and how it would benefit me but then quickly realized that I was not there to simply take a class or be able to drop other academics. I was there to grow and to serve others by helping them learn how to do what they love.

During my second year on staff, I received the positions of Opinion Editor and mentor to my first newb, a younger student new to the staff. Through these roles, I learned how to encourage and constructively give feedback to help create an article or a layout that someone was proud of. 

In my third year, I was Community Canvas Editor and a mentor to another newb. This challenged me because I had to create a new section of the paper from the ground up. When deciding what this page would feature and the theme for my column, God led me to once again serve others. The page became a place for students to showcase their art, enjoy fun comics and hopefully learn something from the articles centered around topics high schoolers struggle with. 

This year, I have had the wonderful privilege of being Editor-in-Chief, Multimedia Manager, Chief Cultural Officer and Opinion Editor. When I received these roles, same as previous years, I quickly realized that while these positions are helping me grow in leadership and teaching skills, I am here to serve. 

God has grown me through this staff and through the children at church by changing my heart to be focused on servant leadership rather than self-centered gain. So for my last article, I leave with this: Don’t be so focused on getting ahead that you miss the people around you. 

I think we often forget that we are not here on this earth for ourselves, but to serve others and to serve God using the gifts He gave us. 

As a senior going into college, I used to worry and get anxious about what would happen after I graduated, but then I realized that through following God’s will and serving Him, He has shown me exactly where He wants me to go. 

“He routinely prompts His anxious, depressed and fearful children to think,” Lead Pastor at Stonebridge Bible Church Jonny Ardavanis said. “One of the chief aspects of God’s image bearers is that we have a mind, and God wants those who are anxious to use it.”

God has prepared me for position after position the entire time I spent worrying about what was next. And every time, He waited for me to use the mind He gave me to realize I didn’t need to worry about what was next; I only needed to focus on where I am now to serve Him.