The longer I live, the more I’m convinced of one theological truth: this world is broken. As I talk to students and hear story after story of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and as I look around and see hatred, racism, and poverty, I can’t help but believe that something just isn’t right. Moreover, when I see how easy it is for me to sin and how often I choose my own way over God’s, I know that this world is a broken place.
That’s a great place for us to start when we share the Gospel with a student.
Deep down, if we are honest, we all know that the world is broken and that we are broken and weak. We ache for the way it seems like things should be, and we feel pain over how things are.
And we ask ourselves why this is. On campus, we spend a lot of time talking about the fact that we sin and are sinned against because man has chosen his own way instead of God’s perfect way, and that this is the cause of all of the brokenness.
At Sam Houston State University, students involved with our ministry wanted to engage the campus with a discussion about this deep brokenness of this world and of our lives. They also wanted to share that Jesus came into the world to bear our shame of our brokenness, so that we could be reunited in fellowship with God. As part of the event, students on campus were asked to write on colorful tiles ways that they could see brokenness around them. At the end of the day one of our leaders, who is an art major, broke all the tiles and used the broken shards and pieces to create a beautiful mosaic. Later that week the student body was invited to see the work of art unveiled, and a speaker shared how God desires to take the broken pieces of our lives and redeem us into beautiful works of art. At this final event, many students shared that they wanted to hear more, and seven students said that they wanted to begin a relationship with Christ. We’re so proud of how hard the SHSU student leaders worked to present a beautiful picture of the Gospel!
It’s stories like this that makes us love what we do in Destino. We want to empower students to engage their peers creatively with the reality that they are separated from God and share with them God’s plan for redemption.
Casey is on staff with Destino in St. Louis, MO.