I wonder if I will find a kebab in my wheelie bin in the morning?
It’s Freshers week for thousands of people up and down the country right now, and it is also the first week at Uni for crowds of students up and down my street it would seem. Last week, I was sleeping peacefully, this week it’s like I’m listening to Eastenders whilst I lie in bed, wide awake.
It’s not that I don’t care that the lad outside's girlfriend hasn’t text him all evening.
And it’s not that I don’t think it’s important that the group passing by have that discussion about how you shouldn’t eat pink chicken, because that’s not cooking it rare, it’s just not cooking it. It’s simply that I don’t want to know at 3am.
What makes all this a bit harder is that it was only a matter of months ago that I could legitimately walk down the street in the early hours of a week-day, alongside friends who were probably talking (or singing) too loudly, because I was a student. And that’s what students do. Right?
And some of you reading this will know exactly what I’m talking about, because just last night you wandered home in fancy dress, past family houses with curtains drawn… and you probably put your takeaway leftovers in their wheelie bin. And perhaps you were belting out a football anthem or The Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feelin’” (which never gets old), without a care in the world.
In Psalm 66, we are basically told to belt out praise to God.
“Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name”. In fact the author later says “Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me” (Psalm 66, NIV)
People are actually drawn to the kind of noise being made here, rather than praying it would stop or that the windows could be triple-glazed.
Why? Because when you are bringing something different to the table, a purpose, a reason for who you are and why you are out in the middle of the night during Freshers, but not vomming on the pavements, people are drawn to it. So, students, freshers, what’s all the noise about? Why are you making a racket, and for who?
Freshers are waking up neighbourhoods all over this nation. So I reckon it’s about time you Freshers who know who you’re living for, started waking up your surroundings too.
