I can still remember how my hands shook as I approached that door. I was 18, in college, and, following a series of unwise choices, had landed myself in some fairly serious trouble. I’d heard this man might be able to help… but the sign said “chaplain” – and I was a mess. I was stubborn, hurting, angry, and grieving. I had made mistakes, my grades were sliding, I’d never set foot in a campus ministry meeting, and in fact wanted nothing to do with church.
But the trouble was big, and so I took a deep breath, knocked, and went in to meet Sammy Clark, our campus chaplain. His smile and cheerful greeting made me think he had no idea who I was. I started to tell him what I’d done, watching his face closely for the beginnings of judgment, waiting to be told I was in the wrong place, to be sent away.
He held a hand up to stop me, and said, “It sounds like you’ve been through a lot. Tell me about that first.” I said, “I’m not a Christian, you know.” He said, “Okay.”
Before I left that day, Sammy explained that his job was to love me, and not to judge me. He called me a child of God. According to his faith, I was loved because God loved me, embraced because God embraced me. I received the help I needed that day, but more than that, I received my first taste of the grace of God.
These days, the sign on my door says “chaplain” – and I’m the one who gets to smile and greet shaky students seeking help and acceptance. And Sammy’s picture hangs on my wall to remind me: God’s grace is here for us all – even for me, even for you.
Prayer:
God, we thank you that we don’t have to see ourselves as worthy in order to receive your love and your grace. Help us to see your light and know your hope in this season. Amen.
