College life is a constant barrage of activities, media and people.
If you doubt that, check out the typical college student’s living space. Most students live in doubles, triples or quads. The numbers of students sharing space may go even higher for those who live outside of campus housing and are trying to find boarders to split the apartment rent.
No matter where they lay their heads, students are connected to their laptops, iPods and cell phones 24/7, 365.
However, even the most social and digitally connected students need quiet. As youth ministers, we should find ways to help them understand this need and develop ways to experience the gifts of disciplines such as meditation, silence and solitude in the midst of their busy lives.
The Bible frequently reminds us of the timeless human need for silence. Look at the example of Christ who regularly got away by Himself to a quiet place and instructed His disciples to do the same. Elijah experienced God not in the earthquake, but in the still, small whisper.
Recent research on the inner lives of college students shows a need for quiet, as well.
Researchers at UCLA investigated the spiritual and religious lives of more than 100,000 students over the course of several years. Their research, published in Cultivating the Spirit: How College Can Enhance Students’ Inner Lives by Alexander W. Astin, Helen S. Astin and Jennifer A. Lindholm (Jossey Bass 2010), reveals some telling factors about the spiritual life of college students.
The authors define spirituality in broad ways that may fall short of the characteristics we seek in developing disciples of Jesus. However, their work sheds some interesting light on what we do as Christian leaders.
The Bad News: The authors’ main finding is no surprise: College life can be pretty rough on the spiritual lives of students. Most students attend church less and shift their religious values. Among the most negative influences on the spiritual lives of students are TV, video games and frequent drinking and partying, none of which is hard to find on campus.
The Good News: However, even as they deal with the new realities of college life, most students continue to wrestle with their beliefs. Among the common positive influences are leadership development opportunities, engaging in service to others, giving of time and money, and engaging in practices such as prayer, journaling and meditation.
As Christians, we call these the spiritual disciplines. Those who practice these disciplines not only show positive spiritual growth, but also tend to do better academically and socially, are better prepared for graduation and have a greater sense of personal satisfaction.
The Opportunity: This research demonstrates that there is a real need to help students find the quiet in their quiet times. So what can we do with the young people we lead?
Take time to teach about the disciplines. Have students engage in some regular practice of silence and solitude. Help students understand silence and quiet as more than just not talking, but truly being alone with God.
That means there are times when distractions such as iPods and praise music (which is often pretty noisy) need to be turned off so students really can be alone with God—even if only for a few moments in the course of a day.
Encourage your students to take a break from the media and people barrage so they can listen to the voice of God. This does not happen easily, especially on campus. Most of us too quickly fill the void of silence with some kind of comforting background noise.
Research tells us that investing in quiet pays off. Even more so, Jesus calls us to it. Help your students take time to be still (and quiet) and know that He is God.
