The young man in my office is from another world, a world of different standards, different beliefs, different expectations, different rules. Trained in that world, he reacts in this one, reactions that do not fit the standards, beliefs, expectations and rules of a small college in a rural setting. Among the many ironies that I see in my conversations with him is that he is adamant about that other world: “I can’t go back there.”

He heard the coach’s speech at the beginning of his freshman semester about the importance of attending classes, completing assignments, preparing for tests. He heard the speech, yes. But he figured it was just one more in a long series of speeches he had heard that were not backed up, not enforced, not taken seriously by the ones making the speeches. So, just as he had done in high school, he began skipping classes, ignoring assignments and blowing off tests. And, he got into a fight with another member of the team. Again, responding with the old patterns in the new setting.

In this world, he found himself kicked out of class, kicked off the team and kicked out of college housing. He will either learn and use the principles of success in this different setting or find himself back in the place he knows will destroy him.

I find tremendous affinity for his situation. As a believer, I have struggled to rid myself of the old ways of thinking and doing. I have known the fear and failure of slipping back into the slime of old emotions and actions, those born of the darkness that pulls me back toward destruction. As I pray for this young man and his release, his seeing, his triumph, I pray for myself.

H. Arnett
1/27/10