Freshman Year and Sore Abs

My abs (as in my abdominal muscles) are sore today. It hurts to cough, giggle, and move from slouching to sitting up straight. Three days ago, a dear roommate and I attempted her boyfriend’s ab workout. Completed? By our standards, yes. Recovery time? TBD. She and I have both been testing our strength this year. We’ve planned workouts, tried to be consistent, and feel pretty sore after it all. But! We’ve giggled through it all and celebrated the small victories with ice cream and chocolate croissants… yeah, it’s a fantastic system!!

I attend a small, Christian, liberal arts college outside of Boston, and my freshman year of college is almost complete. There is no better place I could have experienced my first round of college FIRSTS.

In freshman year, there are a lot of firsts. I really couldn’t say anything more obvious. New PEOPLE, new teaching styles, new online systems, new responsibilities, new worries, new problems, new conversations, new thoughts… all leading to “firsts.” I am sore. The kind of sore where it feels really good to stretch the growing muscles, but you wince a little bit. The kind of sore that requires you to take a step back and reflect on the feelings of pain, but you still remember the endorphins that exploded when you lifted that weight and felt proud you could do it.

This school year my brain hurt from the heavy lifting work. I had to sleep more just to keep up with the amount my brain was working. I wore my hiking shoes probably 73% of my time on campus. Among other things, I decided I was actually a morning a person, and woke to oatmeal, the Urbana 18 worship album, and reading Psalms this semester. I did laundry between circuits of reading the “Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch” and “Liberal Arts for the Christian Life.” I rotated between the salad bar and Saturday dinner fries. Soreness was never far behind each day.

At the end of most days, my mind was full, my heart filled with good conversations, and my knees sore. I went to sleep simply to get up and do it all over again. When I really think about it though, I am much stronger because of it. Though my heart is sore from missing my twin sister, I took the first steps in finding myself without her by my side. She supported me every step, but I had to run the miles. My brain was filing information as fast as it could, and yes, it needs a break. But I squatted the weight of knowledge, and my worldview is changing because of it.

(Oh yes, I love a good metaphor.)

My body and soul need a few solid weeks of summer. It is time for rest, a stack of good books, and lazy summer nights, all so that I can return to campus with muscles ready to lift again. I am the yes-I-DID-that-workout-but-it-will-hurt-tomorrow-sore, and I’m thankful. Being sore reminds me that my own strength will never be enough. I NEED Jesus to come and lift the hurt, confusion, disappointment, and shame. I can see the gift He’s given me in bringing me to this college and to these new friends.

While my abs heal, I finish up a few finals, and pack up, I’m grateful. I’m looking forward to seeing how these early stages of soreness lead to muscles that Christ can use to lift even more than they could imagine.

Love,

(Pictured above are my lovely roommates, who make it worth laughing even when you have sore abs.)

P.S. You are welcome to ask more specific questions about freshman year in comments. 🙂