Mackenzie Norman

When I was in high school, I decided that the best way for me to meet people and share the Gospel was to be intentional with the people who stood in line behind me. Each day at lunch I would wait for food and say a prayer and muster up the courage to start a regular conversation with whomever happened to be there that day. I can still remember some of those meetings. 

In college, I became so bogged down in endless school assignments that when I stood in line for anything I used it as free time to think about all I had left to do. At least, that’s what I told myself. In reality, it was simple fear that held me back. Fear of what kind of person I might be talking to. What they might think of me. And heaven forbid there was a guy standing behind me! What if he thought I was flirting? So I stared at the back of the person in front of me intently, thinking that I was less responsible for starting a conversation if I couldn’t see anyone behind me. And I sealed my lips shut and hoped that no one wanted to talk to me. 

But that started to change. I got in the habit of waking up at 7:00 in the morning to move my car out of the Faculty/Staff parking space I put it in for the night. Like clockwork, the tickets came to that section of the lot at precisely 7:20 in the morning. If I moved my car before then, I’d have all the priviledges of a close parking space with none of the fines. I am no morning person. But I am also not rich, and a parking fine for a college student meant the loss of at least three quality cups of coffee, and that was not a price I could afford to spend. I used the cost to motivate myself to get out of bed. Because truthfully, I needed Jesus to get through every single moment. If I didn’t seek Him first, I didn’t know if I would make it through the day alive. 

So I would move my car to the BCM parking lot and sit there for an hour or more, just talking to God. Praying for friends, praying for Gospel opportunities, praying for boldness. Praying for myself and every burden that weighed on my soul. The Einstein’s Bros on-campus dining opened at 7:30 in the morning, and as soon as my prayer time was done, I wandered into the empty student center to sit down and have my personal quiet time until my 9:30 or 11 am class began. And over time, I began to feel like the biggest hypocrite. There I was, standing silent in line after sitting in my car begging Jesus for open doors to talk to people. I had an open door; I just didn’t want to walk through it. And on one particular morning, the urge within me to say something was greater than usual. So I breathed a prayer and mustered up the courage to turn around and face the girl behind me. 

I couldn’t tell you what I said. It was probably something like “so what’s your favorite kind of bagel?” But I do remember that when we left the line and she craned her neck for a place to sit in the now-crowded student center, I offered her a seat with me. And I might have missed class, but I had one of the most significant Gospel conversations I’ve ever had. We talked in depth about the differences between Protestantism and Catholicism and works and faith and the significance of Mary and the saints and what really saves you. I’d love to tell you that she prayed to receive Christ, but she didn’t. And while I grieve her lostness, I learned something so important through that interaction. I didn’t walk away disappointed, shaking my head, thinking I had wasted my time. I was overjoyed because God was faithful. He guided every word. He hadn’t misled me. He was at work. And I saw Him chiseling away at something deep in the hearts of the people He placed behind me in line. Because He put them there for a reason. 

Why am I telling you this story in the commuter chapter? Because the girl I talked to was a commuter, and talking about commuters always reminds me of her. But more than that, because so much of my time during that season of life was spent in a car, choosing to seek God. My car was my prayer room. It was where I did battle. And setting aside that space and time for God to work was monumental for my spiritual growth. You have that time and space set aside for you. So use it wisely. 

I’m also telling you this story because it involves me spending hours in the student center. It’s hard to want to stay on campus, especially after a difficult day. It’s challenging to watch people making their way back to their conveniently located homes, knowing it’ll be awhile before you can climb into your bed for a nap. Sometimes campus feels old, boring, and claustrophobic and you’d rather be anywhere else. I didn’t have to go to Einstein’s to do my quiet time. I could have gone anywhere. But I stayed on campus, partly to be kept accountable. People remember when you consistently show up at the same place and time. Those Einstein’s employees watched me walk in, order a coffee, and sit down at 8:30 every morning to read my Bible. And even if that act didn’t lead to a Gospel conversation, they saw the way I intentionally met with Jesus. Their eyes were on me, and I had the chance to turn their attention to God. You’re on campus. Choose a place to be and meet with God even in the chaos. And watch as He puts the right people in front of you. 

Finally, I know that commuting means you sometimes miss out on the late-night shenanigans. It means leaving meetings early, or having to spend an awkward night in someone else’s tiny dorm. It is so easy to believe the grass is greener where the on-campus dwellers live. But God doesn’t make mistakes. Sometimes your commuting schedule means you end up in Einstein’s at exactly the right moment for the girl in line in front of you to turn around and ask you about bagels. And sometimes that conversation leads into a discussion about who Jesus is. A conversation you would have missed if you had joined the late-night ice-cream crew and been fast asleep at 8:30am. 

And frankly, if you can’t be content in the schedule God has given you as a commuter, you wouldn’t be content with the schedule God would give you as an on-campus resident. Contentment is a willful decision to bless God for where you and what He has given you, instead of wishing He had provided something else. He never gives you less than His best for you. And if you’re a commuter, then God’s best for your college experience, for however long it may last, is that you commute. So praise Him for it, find reasons to be grateful for where and how God has planted you. Ask Him for His perspective and live with eyes and hands wide open to whatever comes next.