Leaving Egypt
I’m going to be a ballerina princess when I
grow up.
When I’m big, I’m going to be an astronaut.
Yeah, well, when I’m big, I’m going to be a doctor.
I think I’m going to major in psychology.
Well, if I ever get out, maybe I’ll go to grad school.
Most of us have spent 20 years or so describing ourselves in terms
of what we dream of doing…someday. When we were little, we
had big dreams. When we got out of high school, we had realistic
dreams. Now, two years into college, we’re still defining
ourselves by our dreams of the future.
We thought getting out of high school meant getting to the real
world, but most of the time, it still feels like we’re in
the practice session. Like the ancient Israelites of the Old Testament
living under Egyptian rule, we’re still in Egypt, stockpiling
the memory knowledges that we’ll need later. While we know
in our heads that learning is about life, it can be hard to believe
in the daily grind of getting our schoolwork done. All our dreams
seem to fade in comparison to that one golden dream – the
dream of getting out of school. But we still have two years left.
When will real life start? When do we get to start living our dreams?
Right now!
T.E. Lawrence said, “All men dream, but not equally. Those
who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in
the day to find that all was vanity, but the dreamers of the day
are dangerous men for they may act their dreams with open eyes and
make them possible.”
We, with our daydreams of the future,
are the dangerous ones, because we are ready – right now –
to act our dreams. We aren’t the great men and women of tomorrow,
we are the great men and women of today.
Despite our big dreams and readiness to act, we, too, like the ancient
Israelites with their dreams of a new nation, can sometimes feel
terrified of moving forward and acting out our visions while we
are in this transitional place. Moses, too, was getting ready to
leave Egypt, the land of science and learning. The Israelites had
just barely made it out of Egypt when they realized Pharaoh’s
army was chasing them. The Israelites were scared, and Moses knew
it and said, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation
of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. But the Lord
said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of
Israel to go forward’” (Exodus 14:13-15).
Moses and the Israelites thought that they could stand still, but
the Lord said no, it was time to start going forward. We, too, are
at an awkward stage, somewhere between standing still and going
forward.
Our time at the College, so far, has been a time of preparation.
Thanks to the dedication of our faculty, and the support of the
Bryn Athyn community, our families and each other, we have learned
what we need to go forward in our spiritual lives, as well as in
our natural lives, Spiritual truths and the courage to use them,
natural truths, and the wisdom to apply them, and a lasting love
of the Lord and our neighbor, these are the treasures of gold and
silver we bring to the future.
Now is the time to stop standing still and start going forward to
live our dreams. No, I can’t be a scientist tomorrow, nor
will I be regenerate next week. But I’m done waiting! We can
hold on to the big dreams we had when we were little – except
for being a princess, maybe – instead of letting them fade.
Actions are what keep dreams alive – by taking opportunities
to put knowledge to use, we will sustain our dreams as we enrich
our lives, and the lives of those around us.
The College has led by example, by offering service trips, internships
and overseas trips; we return from these experiences with new inspiration
to continue learning. Use is where we see how our lives make a difference.
Instead of waiting until we know enough, are old enough, or have
enough degrees, let’s start being useful now, and continue
to learn along the way!
No matter where we go next year, we can begin a truly real life,
a life of use in service to the Lord and to our neighbor. In the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that we shall be known by our fruits:
our works, our charity, our useful service.
The Lord is calling us to start going forward, taking the treasure
from Egypt, and using it to enrich our journey to the Promised Land.
We can already begin using our knowledge to bring forth fruit. We
can be known not by what we dream of becoming, but by what we are
already becoming. We, the students of Bryn Athyn, can say…
I am a dancer now, at the Sesame Street Company.
Today, I work with a therapy group for autistic kids
Already, I share my knowledge by tutoring chemistry
We can, now, today, be known by our works.
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