Memory Lane

Many people go to college. Not as many people go to two colleges. I live in the minority as someone who transferred during my college days. I have no regrets. God had me exactly where I needed to be… even with a move in the middle. (I love that our God is never caught off guard!) What I could never have anticipated is that one of my children would want to consider attending both of the schools I’d called home. Sometimes the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.So, this summer, I found myself literally and figuratively going down memory lane. As my daughter and I drove onto the Wake Forest campus, I was flooded with memories. I was also amazed by all the changes to the campus. As I did the math, I was doubly shocked to realize it’d been 24 years since I’d walked the campus. (How does this happen?)For most of the tour, I refrained from all of my “I remember when’s.” (This is a best practice to avoid teenage eye rolling.) As the formal tour came to an end, we were worn out from a hot and steamy walk. We also needed to get on the road to get to our next destination. Nonetheless, there was one place on the campus I had to see before we found the comfort of an air-conditioned car.We made our way back to the Student Center. On the first floor, Chris and I had consumed more Pizza Hut Meat Lover’s^® pizzas than I can count. (Judging by the food bill going back to my parents, I’m sure they thought I was going to come home with the freshman thirty. They had no idea they were feeding my boyfriend most weekends, too!) Three or four reiterations of food courts later, Pizza Hut was gone… but as we walked through to the other side of the building and up the grand staircase, everything was familiar.The one small room I was looking for was the Student Chapel. It really isn’t a chapel. More like a prayer room you might find in a hospital. It felt like almost every other square inch of the campus had been renovated multiple times since my days as a Demon Deacon (have to love the mascot)… but this 200-square-foot space was exactly as I remembered it. This was the very place I sat when I surrendered control of my life to the Lord. I was overcome with all the ways God had directed my steps and protected me since that day. Who would’ve known the beautiful ride of a lifetime I would have as a result of that one decision?[bctt tweet="What we can’t see in the last 24 hours becomes much clearer as we look back over months and years."]There was no time to relish in too many memories. Annika snapped me out of it with her “this room is cheesy” comment. But it left me grateful that I was able to come back to the very place where I stuck a stake in the ground and chose to follow the Lord. We generally stay too busy to stop and look back. It’s in the looking back, however, that we often realize the power of God in our lives. What we can’t see in the last 24 hours becomes much clearer as we look back over months and years.If you can go back to a physical place where you began your faith, I encourage you to prioritize doing so. Someday soon, I foresee that little room will get a facelift, too. Cheesy will likely be replaced with a modern vibe, but I’m so glad I made it back to be reminded of God’s faithfulness.