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Alicia couldn't wait for school to start. She was ready. Leaders' camp had refreshed her vision for what the Lord could do at her school. She had volunteered to organize the chapter's New Student Outreach, and she was excited to have been chosen as the worship leader for the large-group meetings.
Two weeks into the quarter she started a job on campus tutoring struggling students, giving her new relationships with non-Christians, as well as some much-needed funds for school. On Tuesday nights she helped out with the high school youth at her church. Alicia and her roommate were praying about an evangelistic outreach on their dorm floor. Her schoolwork was going to be tough this semester; she had eight books to read for English, and she had just gotten a low C on her first biology quiz. She hadn't expected her distraught sister to call the night before the test. But what could she do? They talked until 2 A.M. trying to solve her sister's problems.
One afternoon four weeks later, Alicia grabbed her Bible and flopped onto her bed, hoping the brief break in her schedule would allow for a much-needed quiet time with the Lord. I'm so tired, she thought guiltily, fighting the urge to fall asleep. She couldn't concentrate anyway. She had done poorly on her biology mid-term; her low C had slipped to a D. She had a major English paper due in two weeks and still hadn't chosen a topic. Her mind wandered, remembering how only one person in the whole dorm had expressed an interest in talking about spiritual things. She tried to think of a new outreach that would actually reach out. Suddenly, she jumped off the bed. "Oh no! I'm late for worship practice!" she moaned as she grabbed her guitar and dashed out the door. She wondered what the others would say if she quit leading worship. It was just too much. She sighed, wondering why she just wasn't enjoying this year like she thought she would.
Have you ever felt like Alicia? At this point in the year, perhaps your enthusiasm for ministry has plummeted like a skydiver without a parachute. Maybe you're so far behind in your studies it would be a big relief to quit everything but classes. You find yourself looking at your calendar, searching for white spaces. Let's face it -- this time of year can be overwhelming and discouraging.
If you're feeling this way, you're not alone! How do other InterVarsity students cope with heavy loads of schoolwork and ministry? To find out, I talked with InterVarsity staff and students from around the country, gathering their collective wisdom and advice for leaders. Their many suggestions (we have room to share only the most representative) usually fell within five general categories: maintaining healthy disciplines, careful time management, remembering who's in charge, making the most of a team, and watching out for the enemy.
 

Maintaining Body and Mind
Just as the spiritual disciplines are vital to our spiritual well-being, so too are physical disciplines vital to healthy bodies. Leaders often lose steam in mid-November because they don't get enough sleep or exercise. Without proper nutrition, regular exercise, enough sleep and relaxation, our bodies wear down and are subject to depression and sickness.
Perhaps you're the kind of person who is always on the go, or studying all the time. Take time to relax and have fun! Remember that God himself took a break by resting on the seventh day of Creation. To be sure we'd get the point, he then commanded a Sabbath, a day of rest every week to worship, pray, reflect, rest and do fun things.

Finding the Time
Handling time well is crucial. When students struggling with busyness come to Tom Sirinides, a New Jersey staff person, he joins them in looking hard at their current use of time. "I sit down with the student and draw seven columns on a sheet of paper," he says. "Then we fill in his or her schedule for the past week, and say, 'Okay, where's the problem? Where can we find more time here for studying and other important things?'" With creative examination, Tom can usually help a student find half an hour a day for reading the Bible and praying or, say, a good chunk of time to study on Wednesday if large-group meetings are on Thursdays. And if, after rearranging the schedule, there still isn't enough time to study for school and to be with God, then it may be time to make the difficult decision to drop an activity or club or to cut back on work hours.
New York staff worker Laura Haughton agrees. "Leader types find it hard to say 'no,' so they overload with too many activities and responsibilities. They're often afraid that God will be displeased if they say 'no' to ministry or church activities." Fortunately, God is far more concerned about your walk with him than he is in seeing how far you can stretch yourself. Jim Merritt, a South Dakota staffer, adds, "Leaders need to be refueled, even if it means dropping something. People are more important than programs! And when something does get dropped, maybe that's an opportunity for someone else to get involved. It's good for a chapter to wrestle with that."
God can accomplish more through you when you are walking in him than when you are too stressed out to hear his voice. Be joyfully involved in a few things, rather than trying to do everything.

Running a Marathon
Paul often used the image of a runner to illustrate how a Christian, like a runner, must train hard and be disciplined to achieve the goal. We need to pace our lives for a marathon. Otherwise we may burn out.
Imagine that you're about to run a short race. It's a gray, windy morning, and it has been raining all night. Yesterday's dirt path is now a muddy mess, and it's only going to get worse. At the sound of the starting gun, you bolt out with a surge of energy, and soon you leap into the lead. You're fast -- faster than anyone else. Well, you would be if it weren't for the mud clinging to your feet. Sucking sounds fill your ears, and your shoes are getting caked and heavy.
The others are slowly catching up. Where is the finish line? You should have crossed it by now! Suddenly, with a sinking feeling (and the mud only helps you sink) you remember: this is a ten mile marathon, not a short sprint. You stumble as you desperately try to fill your lungs and land heavily in the mud. The others, jogging with smooth-paced confidence, pass you by. Your sprint has probably cost you the race. Should you quit? If you pace yourself now, is there a chance of finishing?
Perhaps at this point in the semester, you feel like you've been "sprinting" since the start of school. Maybe your heart for ministry has grown cold. It's time to stop and regroup, to gain a fresh perspective.
Start by asking yourself who's really in charge. Remember, this isn't your ministry; it's God's. As a student leader, you are a partner with God, but the responsibility doesn't fall on you. John 15:5 says all fruit comes from the vine, which is Jesus. Washington area director Sue Sage says, "Leaders need to see that God is even more interested in their group than they are, and that God is much more aware of what he is doing over the course of a member's life than what is happening in this instant."
But what about times when nothing seems to be happening, when all your efforts seem in vain? "Usually it's not as bad as the leader perceives it," adds Sue. "Our perfectionism often accuses us of no results. We've had wonderful times when whole teams of students confess their pride and then move into worship, giving the ministry back to Jesus."
Bum Yong Kim, a campus staff member in Washington, observes that "many students have a 'works' mentality that compels them to perform for God. If their value comes from achievement, their relationship with God is based on what they do -- their accomplishments, successes and failures. Students often relate to God as if he were a demanding parent, rather than just resting in his grace." When we forget that our work is God's ministry, we lose sight of his timetable. Our expectations are almost always short-term; God's plans are long-term.

Trusting the Team
God is in charge, but he also entrusts us with gifts for ministry. We're partners with him and with each other. God created us to live as a part of the body of Christ, a body designed to work together (1 Corinthians 12). As Femi Akinola, a staff worker in Kentucky, says, "It was God's idea to send people out in pairs, and to 'agree together' in groups. Lone Ranger Christians die out fast."

Encouraging the Faint
A community of believers can offer overwhelmed leaders something they really need -- encouragement. Even marathon runners often run in a team, encouraging each other and helping each other make it to the finish line. John Roeckeman, a staff worker in Urbana, Illinois, says, "We're not at all clear-headed when we're discouraged; we see only the negative and not the positive. I remember a time as a student when I was wondering if I should either leave my exec team or not continue the next year. But then a fellow team member helped me see how God had recently been working through me in the lives of some freshmen. I needed to hear that! It helped to have some friends put their arms around me and encourage me."
Nevada staff worker Shawn Young tells of one way his chapter encourages each other. "The leaders get together and ask, 'Has anyone in your Bible study made a step toward God?' and 'How have you seen God answer prayer?' The students are encouraged by hearing how God is working through the whole group. They also pick one leader a week to sit in the middle of the circle and be affirmed by all the rest. Lately they've been sending notes of encouragement to each other and to their Bible study members -- all students love to get mail!"
The student leaders in one New England chapter meet Sunday afternoons, often just to share. They ask each other, "How are you, really?" and "How is your small group going?" It's encouraging to talk honestly with peers, and to hear that others have problems too, often the same ones.