Senioritis

Yesterday was a the last day of First Week, a time for new students to wander the campus introducing themselves to the facilities and encountering a laundry list of mysterious acronyms: BPE, CPE, CLI, etc. Though the acronyms stand for time consuming, non-credit requirements, their faces are still full of wonder and hope about Life at Luther.

I spent most of the day on campus re-acquainting myself and enjoying the sights. This was the last day my professors would be in jeans or declaring freedom from socks. Their Birkenstocks and Teva sandals meandered in and out of the library and duplicating services, placing articles on reserve and printing packets thick enough that they'd have to charge students money.

I love this time of year. I love looking through the bookstore and browsing each syllabus with confidence that this year I’ll read everything and think critically about each assignment. I’ve been in school continuously for two decades now and I get the same butterflies of anticipation every fall.

Several people asked me if I was a first year student and the flattery I felt surprised me. You see, senior MDiv students have a reputation for being…antsy. Yes, antsy. That’s a nice way to say it. Sometimes we come back from internship with the “real world ministry swagger" and are too jaded, anxious or removed from the classroom to greet senior year with anything but impatience.

Sure, we learned a lot last year. Sure, the candidacy process has us fervent, eager or even bitter. But I’ve returned to campus relieved that for one more year I can be a professional student and daily reminded that there is always more to learn. I’m grateful to have professors to challenge with the tough questions parishioners brought to me last year. I’m happy to be back with my classmates and learning from their experiences.

The fact that I look young enough to be a teenager might explain why some people thought I was a first year student, but I’m hoping there was more to it than that. Maybe I was wandering campus with a look of wonder and excitement about the year to come. Maybe I looked more eager than antsy, more present than planning only for the future.

I know that this won’t be the year I’m able to read absolutely everything or think critically about each assignment. But that’s not the point. I’m here to be reminded every day that one year on internship doesn’t mean I’m too cool for ten more credits. I’m here to learn that the best pastors never stop learning.*

*...and because graduate degrees are expensive and I'm not about to wish away a year and its tuition! :)