It’s the beginning of June and some of you are still muddling along with exams and tying up the final edits for a written assignment. At this stage in the term it’s not difficult to feel overwhelmed, as you’ve typed so many words your fingers are stuck in a claw, and you’ve done so much revising that you’re dreaming about irregular French verbs and who said what about that study you studied… of course you wouldn’t go to church in the midst of all this stress and packed schedule!

Or how about this- there’s so much going on, of course you couldn’t miss church.

If time for revising comes at the expense of a couple of hours a week spent at church, then the whole point of church is being missed. Church is a place for family and community, where wisdom is found from those around us and the words that are preached, where instead of focusing on finite exams our eyes turn towards the infinite God, where we are recharged in the presence of our Saviour, and, quite frankly, we get a well deserved break. A healthy church is heaven’s blueprint for what community could and should look like.

Church is also a place to give ourselves to, not take away from. So whilst it could be easy on a Sunday to wonder what we could get from a service when we’re preoccupied with university work, with a perspective shift our experience of church during exam season could be completely transformed. Serving in our local church is what brings us fully into community with others. This isn’t to say keep yourself rota’d on for kids group or serving coffee every week during exam season, but simply be prepared to bring yourself as an offering- to God, and to your church.

There is a call here to both apply yourself to your uni work really well, but also stay invested in your community. Collossians 3:23 says “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”, but this also needs to be lived out in tension with “seek first the kingdom of God”. Kingdom always comes first. Ultimately this is a call from God as his children, as well as response to God for reuniting us with Him through Jesus. By responding to this call, you will find God blesses you as you put Him first! Whether that’s enough joy to get you through your exams, someone praying for you just when you need, or a preach that refreshes your soul.

Be encouraged this season, that your Heavenly Father wants to spend time with you, and that as you spend time with Him and invest in the things of heaven, he will invest in you.

If you’re at uni and haven’t found a church yet, try the Student Linkup app and get stuck in!