Jennifer Su
Photo by Andrew Campbell
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Sowing the Seeds of Christianity
When people ask me why I chose to come to Northwestern, I usually respond by commending its location or Medills reputation.
But in reality, the decision I made three years ago boiled down to a single conviction: God wanted me here.
True, as a prospective student I hadnt actually witnessed any hints of the campus religious atmosphere. But I did have a
supernatural sense that Northwestern would be fertile soil for my faith in Jesus Christ. And I was right. College gives students
the opportunity to explore religion without parental pressure, and for me, this freedom made my faith more real, more accessible
than my childhood impressions of "organized religion" Bible-thumping televangelists, anti-abortion demonstrations and
countless rules.
Despite my insanely demanding schedule (common to most of us at Northwestern), Ive begun to perceive the presence of God in a
constant, practical way. Instead of being a distraction to my religious life, my activities and studies actually have cultivated
my understanding of God.
Soon after arriving on campus, I found myself among the masses of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a large group of peers
who encouraged me to take my faith to a deeper level. Some may argue that such gatherings of people discourage open-mindedness,
but for me quite the opposite was true: These people challenged me to ask myself why I believed what I did and, coming from
different religious backgrounds, they showed me how true Christianity is more than just head knowledge, churchgoing and
spiritual jargon. It is living a life both like and with Jesus, who offers forgiveness and a sense of wholeness for anyone who
will receive his message.
Spending one spring break doing community service on Chicagos largely impoverished West Side brought the nebulous ideas of
faith I had been developing to a real, hands-on level. Along with other participants in InterVarsitys Chicago Urban Project,
I felt alarmingly displaced at first amid the rundown houses and the streets littered with newspapers and hopelessness.
But gradually, through the example of Christs love, we learned important life lessons: How to love, not pity. How to give,
not judge.
Spiritually, the most challenging experience of my college years began at the end of my first year, when God planted in my head
the idea of starting Northwesterns only current Christian magazine. I attempted to dismiss the notion because of a variety of
logistical problems that seemed impossible to overcome such as fundraising and garnering a dedicated staff but I couldnt
release it from my mind. Soon, other students who joined the effort shared that God had inspired them with the same idea. When
even funding exceeded my expectations, I knew the magazines birth was in Gods hands.
Now mustardseed, with a circulation of 1,500, is distributed on the campus bimonthly. Although the staff has struggled to define
its goals and its target audience is often unreceptive, weve definitely experienced our share of miracles. Once, when we had
less than a week to raise $1,000, five of us huddled together in Shepard Lounge to pray for provision, "For where two or three
come together in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20). A week later a $1,000 check came in the mail.
As the editor of mustardseed, I not only deal with issues of journalistic integrity, I also try to ensure that the magazine is
an accurate representation of the Bibles message. In a way, the publication symbolizes the most important lesson Ive learned
at the University that spirituality and an intellectual approach to the world can coexist.
Even academic course work has helped me strike this balance. In a Russian literature course I pored over Dostoyevsky, whose
characters in The Brothers Karamazov contemplate the existence of God as they suffer the consequences of their misdeeds.
In history classes Ive seen how Christianity has evolved, for better or for worse, over the centuries.
Even in religion classes, Ive grappled with Hegel, who couldnt give me satisfactory answers to lifes philosophical questions
quite like the Bible could. And although I may never find myself in a science classroom before graduation (Im a journalist, go
figure), friends report to me that they often see God as they study microorganisms whose complex intricacies point to the hand
of a divine Creator.
Both in and out of Northwesterns classrooms, God has aided me in developing an all-encompassing faith that I believe will last
long past my college years. Through the many fulfilling friendships and experiences Ive had here, he has fed me morsels of
spiritual understanding an integral part of my education.
Jennifer Su of College Station, Texas, is a junior in the Medill School of Journalism and an editorial intern at Northwestern
magazine. She spent the winter quarter at National Geographic Traveler magazine as part of Medills Teaching Media program.
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