Take what you need

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Remember in college when you’d hang posters around campus letting people know what you needed and what you were trying to unload? Books, mini-fridges, roommates. This was before social media, smart phones, or cellular devices at all. It was the college version of a garage sale.

The posters were typically hand-written sheets of typewriter paper and included a line of tear-off phone numbers. Not neat — just legible enough to draw interest. The fancy ones were done with markers and highlighters.

It was commonplace to see a smattering of posters throughout the year. But as a semester kicked-off or drew to a close, bulletin board real estate was considered as valuable a free ride home for Thanksgiving.

As students scurried from one building to the next, we’d glance at a poster here and there simply to stay in the loop. But unless you really needed something, you didn’t pay a lot of attention.

You looked when you needed something. And unless you were some sort of ruffian earning bad karma, you only tore off a phone number when you were serious about calling.

This exchange of goods and services worked brilliantly for our growing minds. If you had something I needed, I got it from you. If I had something you could use, you got it from me. This was the way of our academic world. And it worked.

Imagine if you could simply take what you needed in life…

• When broken and wounded, you’d be given compassion and hope.
• Recognizing you’re flawed and disfigured, you’d receive acceptance.
• Struggling to release yourself from the past, you’d embrace forgiveness.
• To help balance the busyness of life, you’d gather stillness and patience.
• Grappling with pain or guilt, you could accept freedom and healing.
• Battling with depression or sadness, you would welcome love and understanding.

The posters would be prevalent — there when you needed something — there when you had something to give. There would be no exchange of money. Rather, relationships would be built.

Embracing our diversities, we can challenge, encourage, and equip one another for greatness (read: authenticity and genuine humility). Use your passions and strengths to edify others and where you are weak, be quick to gain insight and wisdom from others.

Let’s help lovingly hone and inspire each other to be the best “you” you can be.

Give what you can.
Take what you need.

Resolve to persevere. We’re all in it together.

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