As the semester comes to an end, this is the time for evaluation. Teachers evaluate how much we learned while we evaluate how much teachers taught. I would like to propose another type of evaluation: the love evaluation. How much of God’s love has been shown in your daily life? Oftentimes we check our standing academically, emotionally and even physically. But what about spiritually?
We all know Grambling as the place “Where Everybody Is Somebody,” but what made things that way?
As a former athlete, most of what I know and love about this university involves Eddie Robinson.
Stories of how he helped mold Grambling into a safe haven for our people. How he treated every player as his son. We seem to have forgotten these all-inclusive principles of love.
Coach Robinson made sure his students felt loved. It seems today as if we view college as a moral vacation.
When I glance at all of the things I acquired during my time as a student, I found that it is my reputation of respect and love that is most often remembered. It’s time for us to do our part in the creation of a “Community of Love.”
Every day we are given countless opportunities to be the difference makers in the lives of our peers. A small, seemingly insignificant gesture could very well be the symbol of love someone so desperately needs. An invite to a table in the café. An extra scantron during finals. A ride for a young lady with an arm full of groceries.
Are you willing to change someone’s life today? We must all be willing to pursue the well-being of someone else. Jesus made it very clear, “by this all men will know you are my disciples, if you LOVE one another.”
Our campus is filled with people who belong to organizations based on Christian principles. The time has come for our true identity to be seen. The future of this campus is in our hands. The influence we possess goes far beyond a crowded party and reaches deeper than a monthly community service project.
Influence is a double-edged sword. Whether you are doing right or wrong, your influence stands tall. Change begins with a choice. Love begins with a decision. Make the decision to walk in love today. Remaining quiet is easy. Doing nothing is effortless.
So for our returning students, let’s make our next semester our best semester. Creating a “Community of Love” could prove an impossible task as individuals, but together it becomes inevitable.
Henry Tolbert
Director, Fellowship of Christian Athletes