Women at the Well: The Heart of a College Student
Editor’s Note: Women at the Well is an ongoing blog series. Each month, a different woman shares how God is meeting her in her current season of life. Today, we’re thrilled to have Annabella Christensen joining us to talk about her walk with God as a college student.
Tell us a bit about yourself, your vocation, and normal daily routine.
After a year at community college, I discerned that I wanted to study Theology in a faith-driven community and take classes that challenged me, both academically and personally. The hunt for the perfect college ended in a last-minute enrollment at Christendom College located in the small town of Front Royal, Virginia.
Flash forward two years and I’m in the midst of my senior year, each day packed with mixed emotions of nostalgia and senioritis. I’ve settled into a routine that looks somewhat like the following:
Attend 7:30 AM daily Mass in the campus chapel
Exercise in the gym
Work my shift in the Student Life Office
Eat lunch with friends
Go to my Theology classes
Homework in the library
All the while fulfilling my many responsibilities as a Resident Assistant
If we look closely, we see the hand of God working in our lives. How is Jesus reaching out to you right now, in your current season of life?
With such a busy schedule, it can be hard to see where God may be extending His hand to me or the direction He wants me to go in the day-to-day. I tend to easily get caught up in my personal affairs, shutting out those around me, but I find that I fail to thrive when I do so. As introverted as I may be, I need others in order to laugh, learn, grow, love, and be loved. How silly I am for assuming God isn’t working in and through my classmates, the residents on my floor, my friends, professors, and supervisors. Not only does God reach out to me through the care and support of His other children, but He uses me to reach out to them too.
What truths about yourself has the Lord been revealing in prayer? How does acknowledging these truths in your heart affect your vocation in life?
Lately through prayer, I’ve realized how much of a perfectionist I am and how my constant worry for things to be “just so” eats away at my trust in the Lord. In my prayers, God requests that I let Him plan my days, to surrender everything to His control, and for me to acknowledge His Perfection. My desire to control every second of my day tends to leave me very narrow-minded and nearly missing out on once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Allowing God to dictate my day makes my life more full and more vibrant. Organization is vital for academic success, but as a young adult still figuring things out, it helps to know that Someone Greater is in control and works through any mistakes I might make.
How has encountering Jesus in prayer radically changed your life? What fruits do you see manifested in your day-to-day that flow from your encounters with Him?
For many reasons, the spring semester of 2020 was a rough time for me, but ever since then, I have been more dependent on prayer than ever before in my life. January through March was a time in my life when Christ was the only One I could turn to for immediate care, and the grace I received in those moments continues to carry me through the pandemic, the fall semester, the anxieties of senior year, and so much more. My greatest reassurance is that the Lover of my soul is ever attentive at my side and I can communicate with Him at any moment. At the very least, the fruit of having Christ as a close friend is that He walks with me through the day. I can ask Him for confidence in my work, a clear mind going into class, a calm presence when enforcing policies as an RA, or for humility and charity when speaking with friends.
It can often be easy to fall into the trap of discontent in our specific vocations. What has been bringing you peace lately? Do you have any habits, hobbies, or self care practices which fills your heart with peace?
When I feel a lack of peace in my life, nature will always cure any present stress. Walking through campus just for the sake of walking and being outdoors does wonders for a restless heart. As lovely as churches and campus chapels are, the most peaceful prayer I find is in the secluded areas around campus, especially the small grotto for Our Lady tucked away in the woods. Here, I like to read about the saints (St. Faustina is currently my BFF) and journal a little reflection of my day or week. I also recently learned that I sometimes need a creative outlet during these moments of unrest, so I’ve turned to learning basic techniques of watercolor painting.
What words of encouragement would you like to pass on to a sister facing the same choices and challenges as you?
One of my favorite tips for students to keep healthy this semester is from our Academic Dean. In his words: “For once in your life, don’t try to be the hero. Cut out unnecessary commitments, and give yourself an easy workload.” Believe me, as an overachieving perfectionist, this advice is hard to swallow, especially when there are so many things I want to do before I graduate. Yet, I think he has a point – 2020 has put us all through the wringer and we owe it to ourselves to ease back into a normal academic year. Not only will giving ourselves a break keep us physically healthier, but the free time we’ll have for self-care will help our mental health as well. Plus, the humility required to miss out on things could be a good spiritual practice for some. During any spare moments you give yourself, I encourage you to pause and look for all the small signs where Christ is reaching out and approaching you with an unimaginable love.
If your schedule is as packed with academics, work, and social time as mine, you too probably know the overwhelming feeling of thinking you can’t juggle it all. The Lord is reaching out through the people around me, and He asks me to let go of the things I can’t control and to give them to Him. There’s no doubt He’s reaching out to you too, either in similar or different ways. The Lord provides me with the beauty of His creation and the gift of artistic skills to calm the anxieties of college life. If stress is pressing down on you, don’t feel guilty cutting things out of your schedule so that you can give yourself moments of peace and time to see God’s hand extended to you. Remember that with Christ, you are never alone because He is with you always, and through His Church, He has given you a community of women who will boldly walk through the struggles of life with you.
Meet Annabella Christensen
Annabella is earning her B.A. in Theology at Christendom College where you'll find her either in the classroom, working at the Student Life Office, laughing with her boyfriend (a.k.a. best friend), or journaling on a bench at the secluded grotto in the woods. Lover of learning new things, dark chocolate, mountains, and Saint Faustina's diary. She dreams of one day changing lives through her daily work wherever God places her.