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I suffer from comparisonitis. It could also be called the grasshopper syndrome from Numbers 13. Moses sent spies into Canaan to explore the land promised to them by God. They came back with reports of great wealth and abundance in the land. But they compared themselves with the large, strong people in the land and saw themselves merely as grasshoppers among giants. I often compare myself and my I-V chapter with the large, strong chapters at the campuses nearby. Being a member of a small chapter, the more I look at large, "successful" chapters in my region, the more frustrated I get. At times that frustration can be debilitating because it blinds me to what God really is doing at the University of Evansville.

When I came to UE, the chapter had about thirty members. By the time I got involved at the tail end of my sophomore year, our ranks had decreased drastically. And by the fall of my junior year, we could count only ten people who would be returning to the chapter. Now I'm a senior, and this past fall we walked into the school year with only five core members and with no formal executive committee. Throughout these disappointing-yet-stretching times, God has given me some insights. Below are some encouragements that others in my situation might find helpful.

Hang in there; don't give up. God never does. (Where would any of us be if he did?) Several UE chapter members were tempted to give up on our group last year. The situation seemed hopeless at times. We even fell into the trap of talking about ourselves as the last people in the chapter. What a self-defeating attitude!

Don't be afraid to try new ideas. A full year ago we tried combining our small- and large-group meetings into one Friday- evening meeting. It was a total bust. Nevertheless, we learned some things. For example, we realized that the leadership team meetings were always spent planning the upcoming large-group meetings. And with different people dropping into (or skipping) the small groups every week, relationships could never grow.

This year we've been focusing on small groups. Now twenty people are involved in three groups meeting on three different evenings. We have a social event or a typical large-group meeting every two weeks. The two-week agenda keeps our leadership team from burning out and juggling too many details. And small groups take on the planning for many events.

If a traditional exec group isn't feasible, try a non-traditional one. Last May we felt discouraged by our lack of a traditional executive committee. We decided to form a "care team." It consisted of everyone (all five of us) left from last year and coming back into the fall. We've been meeting biweekly to talk through things, to pray and to make needed decisions. It's rather informal, and without set leadership roles we have to be careful to take responsibility for things that need to get done.

Don't rush people into leadership. Last year we started with three formal exec group members. Two dropped off by December, and we scrambled for replacements. But pushing unprepared people into vacant leadership slots can be even more disruptive to a chapter. It might be better to wait.

Don't jump into leadership just because you think you're the only person left to do the job. You could end up burned out -- resenting the job, the chapter and the Lord. God's work isn't dependent on us. He knows the need and he knows who is (or isn't yet) available.

Tell chapter members the need for help. Avoid the mentality that one person can do it all. We don't all know when or how to holler for help. Learn to be bold, blunt and clear.

Maintain a vision. It's okay to dream big: What could the chapter eventually look like in God's timing? What needs to be done today to aim toward that vision? Take it a day, a week, a semester at a time.

Pray. Join together simply to ask God to work. Ask another chapter to pray for you and your campus. The chapter at Marquette University in Wisconsin has been praying for UE all year. We share our concerns and find mutual encouragement in the words, "We've been praying for you."

There is hope. The U. of Evansville has had a chapter for 38 years. At one point in the late 1960's, the chapter had dwindled to three people. Through prayer and hard work, the chapter revived. God is doing it again. We will probably have between twelve and fifteen people returning this next fall, compared with our five this past fall.

As Steve Green sings, "May all who come behind us find us faithful." God doesn't require us to be superleaders, only to be faithful in the work he gives us for the time being. God doesn't compare us with others, and we shouldn't either. The next time I start to feel like a we're a "grasshopper" chapter next to a "giant" chapter of hundreds of students, I'm going to stop and thank God for those hundreds of members. And then I'm going to thank him for each of ours. After all, we're all on the same side, building the same kingdom. If you see me at chapter camp in May, ask me how I'm doing. I still need encouragement.