Grace Lee ’20 Wholeheartedly Seeks God
By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor
Grace Lee, a linguistics and Spanish major, is also a student of the Word at Dartmouth College.
In the fall semester, the sophomore’s passion for the Bible inspired her to lead a group of freshmen in assembling online devotionals that sought to draw students in Christian Union’s ministry into a deeper walk with Jesus Christ. The devotionals were published and shared via social media in the week leading up to the ministry’s annual Thanksgiving celebration. Topics included: “Finding Peace in Trusting God,” “Feeling Grateful,” and “Responding to Grace in Faith.”
Lee, a member of Christian Union’s Seeking God Lifestyle team at Dartmouth, credits consistent Bible reading with keeping her priorities in order and finding deep peace and contentment. She wanted to share that joy with others as she led the team that wrote the devotionals.{tweetme}“I wanted my brothers and sisters in Christ to experience this contentment, fulfillment, guidance, and peace that stem from seeking God, and the best way to spread this was through devotionals,” she said.{/tweetme}
Dori Willeman, a Christian Union ministry fellow at Dartmouth, is impressed with Lee’s spiritual growth this year. “Grace is really devoted to the Word of God and has a heart for pointing other students toward the Word,” she said. “She is one of the most faithful students in our ministry.”
Lee was delighted to lead a group of like-minded freshmen who are active in Christian Union at Dartmouth. Team members included: Brianna Siedel, Paul Jeon, Mary Joy, Gracesenia Chahyadinata, Olivia Bois, and Shinae Park.
“What really drew me to this group of freshmen was their passion for God,” Lee said. “They were all very committed to spending time with God via scripture, listening to podcasts, and worshipping Him at gatherings, regardless of how busy or tired they were. They said that setting time apart for God was essential to their well-being/survival.”
As Proverbs 27:17 talks about iron sharpening iron, Lee was also inspired by such a fired-up group of students.
“I knew that I could learn a lot from them and that they would be a good group of people to talk about how we can see God in everything we do. They are all very well-versed in the Word and had many insights to offer on how to apply it (as evidenced by the devotionals they wrote).”
Through the devotionals, readers are exhorted to give thanks in every situation (1 Thessalonians 5:8), stop and pray when overwhelmed with worry, value the gift of fellowship, and be assured of God’s unending, generous grace.
In the “Finding God in the Ordinary” devotional, readers were challenged to listen for that still, small voice during the holiday season: “Hear God’s whisper in the sound of the Baker tower bells. Feel His pleasure as you run… Allow God to permeate every part of your personal life, instead of just meeting Him in the context of a church or a community, and take His presence with you as you go throughout your day.”
Christian Union at Dartmouth’s annual Thanksgiving dinner, planned by the freshman class, included worship, student testimonies, and all the trimmings. With the series of devotionals, Lee and her team were seeking to prepare hearts for such a special celebration.
“Our intention was that these devotionals would lead students to have a sense of peace and gratitude and love for God, as well as a desire to spend time with one another,” Lee said.
It’s this strong sense of community that makes Lee appreciate Christian Union.
“Christian Union has created a space for many believers to come together and be united by our love for God,” she said. “This kind of fellowship is an essential part of seeking God, as described in Acts.”
Lee, a native of Boston who is studying to be a multilingual surgeon, is also thankful for the mentoring and teaching she has received at Dartmouth.
“Christian Union’s emphasis on seeking God—through the Vine (Leadership Lecture Series) and Bible courses—has taught me how to deepen my relationship with God. The Bible courses, in particular, have taught me how to apply the Word to get to know God.”
Lee said that she senses God’s presence in a strong way as she spends time reading the Bible.
“Spending time in the Word is a crucial component of seeking God,” she said. “The Bible is God directly speaking to us, and how God reveals Himself to us. This is how we learn about God’s nature and how He wants us to live.”
