High School Students Speak on Shalom in Chapel
As February comes to a close, the Christian Life team focused the final chapel of the month on the theme ‘Shalom,’ the Hebrew word for peace, wholeness, and completeness. Director of Christian Life Greg Lisson interviewed two students, senior Mikayla John and junior Sarah Lim, and asked their thoughts on why shalom is important, what barriers we have to achieve shalom at Wesleyan, and what we can do in our lives to reach that peace.
When asked why shalom is important, Lim said, “it is what God calls us to pursue. Micah 6:8 says, ‘He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?’ Ultimately this is what we have to strive for.” John reflected, “I am so blessed and lucky to experience shalom and acceptance at Wesleyan, but I also recognize there are gaps and brokenness on our campus as well. The only way for everyone to experience acceptance is if we choose to pursue shalom.”
John continued, talking about the barriers to achieving shalom. “Our first instinct is to say that problems do not exist. We must humble ourselves to admit that there are things to improve on. Having empathy for one another is what allows us to grow.” Lim echoed this sentiment saying, “a barrier to shalom and true wholeness is the fear of discomfort. The first step listening to people and opinions that we may not necessarily agree with. Then we must find value in reflecting internally before responding by taking up our own cross as Jesus would do.”
John concluded by saying, “we need to recognize that no community is perfect, but admitting we are not perfect does not mean we should stop. We want everyone to feel valued, loved, and accepted. Just as Jesus would chase after the one sheep and leave the ninety-nine, so should we as a community.”
Thank you, Mikayla and Sarah, for sharing your stories!
