Amazing Chase
How God’s relentless pursuit of us changes what we pursue at college
This article is part of the Claritas fall 2023 issue, Stages. Read the full print release here.
By: hOPE THOMAS
I felt a battle within myself. The emotions of excitement, fear, anxiety, and hope wrestled one another within me. It was my first day at Cornell. I struggled to balance the eagerness I had to start college with the difficulties I knew I was going to face in this upcoming season. I looked up at the typically gray sky that accompanied my sisters and me as we hauled three suitcases to my dorm. I couldn’t believe it: I had finally arrived at my new home, Cornell University, an institution that individuals from around the world dream of attending. I had reached my Promised Land, a land flowing with resources and research.
But very quickly, I found that this paradise wasn’t a place for leisure. My routine included waking up early to finish assignments before my class. If I was lucky, I’d find the time to quickly eat breakfast. Between classes, I would spend time in different libraries as I tried to catch up on work. My nights consisted of late study sessions which became progressively longer. As I adjusted to my schedule, I quickly encountered my peers’ focus and drive. My schedule was very similar to that of many students at Cornell. Everyone was passionate about their studies, and they actively looked for ways to get involved. Being surrounded by students with passion encouraged me to work harder and study more. As the semester progressed, my ambition increased and my sleep declined. It was as if I was immersed in an environment where nothing but my studies mattered. Myself and my peers had dedicated our entire lives to chasing the opportunity to go to Cornell, and now that we are here, all we’re doing is seeking something new.
Here at Cornell, everyone I encounter is chasing something. Every day, I am surrounded by students chasing a high GPA, chasing their dream résumé, or even chasing the TCAT. We want to spend every moment here at Cornell taking advantage of all the opportunities given to us. Our sleep schedules feel like an afterthought in comparison to the way we structure our academics and extracurriculars.
Students at Cornell exemplify hustle culture. According to a Megan Carnegie’s article for the British Broadcasting Corporation, “Hustle-culture narrative promotes the idea that there’s always more to drive for: more money to make, a bigger title or promotion to secure, and a higher ceiling to smash.” [1] As Cornellians, we attempt to be involved in every campus group possible to build our résumé, while simultaneously juggling numerous challenging classes. At the end of the day, we always feel like we are missing something. No matter how hard I work, I always feel like I should be studying more, looking for more internships, or finding more networking opportunities. This constant state of searching for more is engraved into our environment. I’m not saying we should stop working hard. The only problem with chasing after success, however, is that at some point, we get tired of chasing. It’s worth pausing to ask: where is this hustle culture leading us?
Eventually, students reach a point of exhaustion where they must come to terms with their failed pursuit of perfection. Spending hours every day on homework assignments only to find I’ve read ten pages out of a thirty page excerpt becomes tiring. It’s frustrating to be surrounded by people who always seem to be smarter, working harder, and more qualified. We constantly find ourselves lagging behind our heart’s desires. We find ourselves chasing after something that will never be within our grasp.
We were not designed to live our lives compromising our well-being for success that only leaves us with the perpetual feeling of being worn out. Carnegie’s article emphasizes that the intentional act of overworking leads to a decline in mental and physical health [1]. Cornell has an infamous reputation of darkness. A reddit post on r/Cornell, when discussing campus environment, states, “I feel like everyone at Cornell at some point has some kind of breakdown.” [2] It feels that no matter how hard we try, it is impossible to avoid reaching a breaking point where we can’t chase anymore.
I remember the difficulties of adjusting to college during my first few weeks at Cornell. I struggled completing my readings, and I worried I was underperforming in my classes. I remember feeling burnt out and lonely. As I heard my peers discuss their prospective internships, I worried that I was behind in taking advantage of the resources Cornell had. Classes had only just begun, but the new environment was extremely tiring for me. In that moment, the only place I could find strength was through prayer and God’s Word. I found strength from the Bible verse Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” [3] There was no denying hustle culture made me mentally and physically tired, but God’s word was my source of strength. I had reached a point where I got tired of chasing, yet God never got tired of chasing me.
From the beginning of time, God has never stopped chasing the hearts of His people. The entire Bible is the simple narrative of God’s pursuit of humanity. We as humans consistently reject God, yet He chases after us every time. God has provided many ways for humanity to reach Him. Looking at the Old Testament from a superficial perspective, it seems absurd that God ordained 613 commandments the Israelites were expected to follow. These commands covered topics that ranged from offerings, diseases, and clothing to kosher laws and family relations. These laws can seem overwhelming. It almost seems like God is an overbearing parent that has no trust in His children to make wise decisions. However, this was God’s way of pursuing humanity, who could otherwise not enter God’s holy, perfect presence being sinful. Holiness means to be pure and set apart from evil, and therefore requires distancing oneself from immorality. God is the perfect demonstration of holiness. God, who is the same “yesterday and today and tomorrow,” cannot tolerate unholiness. The commandments God gave were intended to show the lifestyle holiness required.
On our own, humans can never be worthy to come into the presence of God as we are sinful by nature. Sin is any immoral act that goes against the will of God. Each of us struggle with our own sins like greed, selfishness, or jealousy. Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” [4] Through following God’s commandments and bringing sacrifices, the Israelites were able to cleanse themselves as they approached a holy God. An example of this is seen in Exodus 33:11, which reads, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” [5] The Old Testament laws were actually just a demonstration of God’s desire for communion with His creation. He desires to speak to us face to face. God providing a path for humanity to approach Him displays His generosity. These extensive steps were reminders of how holy God is, and how privileged the Israelites were that God desired to fellowship with them.
It seems obvious to assume the Israelites must have fully surrendered their lives to God. They must have been so excited to have communion with God that their lifestyles embodied the holiness expected of them. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The Israelites still chose to disobey the commands placed for them. They wanted God to bless them, but also followed their own passions. They grumbled throughout hardship, and even worshiped other gods as they saw fit. In Exodus 32, the Israelites created a golden idol in the shape of a calf and proclaimed to one another, “This is your God, Israel.” [6] This clearly violated the second commandment: “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.” [7] The betrayal of Israel to worship other gods seems unforgivable. God provided His people with a chance to experience Him, but they preferred to chase after an inanimate object. The Israelites sought something from this world that they hoped could satisfy them. It would only be reasonable for God to give up on the Israelites. However, even though His own creation rejected Him, God’s love for the Israelites never changed.
In many ways, we are very similar to the Israelites. We all desire to live a life of convenience. We are so focused on collecting accolades in our education that we simply don’t have the time for God. We each have our own golden calves. Whether it be money, fame, or intelligence, we constantly strive for earthly idols that only leave us wanting more. Like the Israelites, we look to God when we need Him, but there is no true relationship beyond this. Even still, He continues to chase after us. We may not prioritize God, yet He continues to love us.
His love is perfectly demonstrated in Luke 15 with the parable of the Prodigal Son. The son tells his father he wants his inheritance. [8] This inheritance is supposed to be given to the son after the father dies; therefore, by asking his father for this wealth, the son is implicitly telling his father that he views him as dead. The son used this money to move to a distant country. He lived a luxurious life and chased everything that was supposed to provide him satisfaction. He tasted all the pleasures that money could buy, yet at some point, he couldn’t chase any longer. The son ran out of wealth, leaving him starving as he dreamed of eating food from the pigs he was forced to tend. Eventually, the son decided to return home in hopes of becoming a servant in his father’s house. This choice to come home was difficult: It was an admission that his desires only left him empty. As he approaches his home, his father sees him from afar. Instead of reprimanding his son for rejecting him, the father runs toward him as he celebrates his son’s return. The father did not hesitate to chase after his son once he knew his son desired to come home.
Our Heavenly Father’s love is exactly like the love found in this parable. The father and son represent God and humanity, respectively. God has given humanity the free will to chase after the fleeting pleasures of the world if we desire to do so. However, if He sees that someone desires to come to Him, He is more than willing to welcome them with open arms, knowing that they have fallen short of His glory. 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” [9] Through Jesus’ death on the cross, our sins have been forgiven. He has nailed our sinful nature, unholiness, and unfaithfulness to the cross so that we could once again have communion with God. Despite humanity rejecting Him, God created a way for us to have communism with Him.
Charles Spurgeon, a 19th-century theologian, remarked “This you do not understand yet; but you shall. As sure as God is God, if you this day are seeking him aright through Christ, the day shall come when the kiss of full assurance shall be on your lip, when the arms of sovereign love shall embrace you, and you shall know it to be so.” [10] When we chase after the world, we feel weary. When God chases after us, and we accept Him, we feel embraced. Only God can provide the fulfillment we have been searching for our entire lives.
As students, there are times when we feel isolated from God. We spend all of our time pouring our energy into the affairs of this world. Oftentimes, we are the prodigal son: We look towards the fleeting riches of this world while implicitly telling God we don’t need Him because we can find success on our own. As we chase after our dreams in hope of satisfying ourselves, we find ourselves weary and broken. While our soul longs for something greater, we find ourselves trapped in shame and guilt. How can we approach God when we’ve rejected Him for so long? How can God love a sinner like me? Yet He continues to chase us. He pursues us and forgives us in a way only He can.
It did not take much time at Cornell for me to realize this school was not worth chasing after. As long as my identity is in my accomplishments, I will always feel that I’m lacking as long as my identity is in my accomplishments. I can try my best to chase perfection, status, and wealth, but I’ll never experience fulfillment through this. The only way I will ever feel satisfied is through God’s love. It seems as if humanity experiences a cycle that reinforces God’s love for us in each iteration. We continue to sin and stumble, but God continues to love us. His love makes us whole, and never leaves us empty. Cornell can’t cure our desire for fulfillment. That’s not what it is designed to do. We should see this campus as more than just a land flowing with resources and research. We should rather frame it as a place flowing with something more: the opportunity to build closer relationships with the Body of Christ and with God Himself.
Sources:
[1] Carnegie, “Hustle Culture: Is this the end of rise-and-grind?”, April 20th, 2023.
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230417-hustle-culture-is-this-the-end-of-rise-and-grind
[2] Lastmanstanding, Reddit, 2019. “Depression on Campus?”: r/Cornell (reddit.com)
[3] Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
[4] Romans 3:23 (NIV)
[5] Exodus 33:11 (NIV)
[6] Exodus 32:4 (NIV)
[7] Exodus 20:3 (NIV); Exodus 20:4 (NIV)
[8] Luke 15:11-32 (NIV)
[9] 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
[10] Spurgeon, “The Prodigal’s Return,” February 7, 1858.