The Student News Site of Gannon University since 1947

THE GANNON KNIGHT

The Student News Site of Gannon University since 1947

THE GANNON KNIGHT

The Student News Site of Gannon University since 1947

THE GANNON KNIGHT

Finding God on Gannon’s Campus

What do you do whenever you’re waiting for the next event on your agenda?

Imagine you are sitting in the waiting room in a doctor’s office, chilling in line at a roller coaster or killing time before your next class.

You may or may not have friends to talk to, but if you do, let’s say there is a lull in the conversation.

What do you do?

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Naturally, you pull your phone out of your pocket. You think, “Did Emily text me back? Did Jordan post that pic on Facebook that we took last night?”

Just as you look at your phone, it vibrates and the screen goes black. “Oh no, the battery died…”

Now what?

You sit there twiddling your thumbs for a few seconds as you see that your friends are completely absorbed in their own phones.

If you find yourself in a situation like this, might I recommend an activity you can do to occupy your time? Look for crosses.

Crosses are almost everywhere if you know where to look for them. You see them in architecture, separating window panes or in between slabs of concrete in the sidewalk.

The Waldron Campus Center is especially full of crosses.

As soon as you enter the building from the main entrance, check out the big green cross in the window to your right. I don’t think this cross was put there by accident; but if it wasn’t by design, well, it’s still pretty cool.

I encourage you to think on this idea: what are the crosses in your life? Sometimes, it may seem like they are everywhere, and they are all you see.

Other times, they are hidden in plain sight, and you may not notice they are there.

Sometimes, they don’t become visible until you detach yourself from the technological world we live in.

Now, I’m not advocating that you sell all your possessions and become a monk (However, if you’re thinking about it, good for you!), but there are times when we all need a break.

The old adage, “Speaking is silver, but silence is golden” has a kernel of truth contained in it.

Here is what I propose to you, dear reader.

Find five minutes today, turn off your cell phone and sit in a chair or lay on your bed.

Forget about school work for those moments.

Once you are settled, first call to mind the crosses in your life. It could be a friend that you have not reconciled with after a fight.

It could be an injury or sickness afflicting you or someone else in your family right now.

It could be a sense that you need to accomplish a certain task that you’ve been putting off or don’t have a clue how to approach it.

After you establish the cross or crosses, think about what you can do to address them. Then promise yourself to do just that.

Finish with a prayer.

This little recipe for dealing with crosses may be useful, but caution, most of the time the crosses will not disappear right away.

We may have to live with them for a long time.

Continue to pray about them and talk to someone you trust about them.

And as you walk around campus and notice the myriad of crosses, use them as a reminder to take time out of your day to think about your own.

Thanks to James Marsh for his suggestions to this week’s column.

 

 

NATHAN DEMAREST

[email protected]

 

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