Why I quit Student Senate

There are times in your life when God is so distant that you sing just to fill the silence. There are other times when God speaks so persistently and so clearly that you have to obey no matter how reluctant you are. I have experienced both in my life, but recently the latter happened to me. VP of Finance, Business and Economics tutor, Economics TA, five courses – these are just some of the responsibilities I took on this semester. At first it felt great to be so involved! God has given me so many talents, and I felt like He was giving me multiple opportunities to use them for His glory. But if this was His will for me, why did I feel so cruddy? The truth is, I was so busy that I didn’t have the time to grow close with my amazing dorm mates. I put my friends and family on the wayside, spending time with them, but all the while thinking about how to make Senate financing more efficient. I couldn’t relax. Chapel, church, and CITB were a constant struggle for me: why would I worship God if I could be working for Him? Okay, so maybe I’m a bit of a workaholic, or, as Syd calls it, “too busy.” As the semester progressed, I came to realize that I was defining myself more and more by what I was doing rather than by who I am in Christ. I realized that I was taking God with me in my life and hoping that what I did was for His glory. Instead, He was asking me to surrender my life to Him – give Him my future and my daily schedule. Follow Him. I keep a prayer journal, and reading back through it, I found that God has been asking me to surrender my life to Him since, well, at least the end of September – around the time of budgeting meetings. In order for me to surrender my life to God, I knew I had to step down from my position on Student Senate as VP of Finance. This would free about 10 hours a week for me to listen to God and to invest in the various relationships which He has called me to be in as a daughter, friend, dorm mate, church member, student, etc. Plus this would give me peace, because before when I was not officially doing Senate stuff, I was constantly thinking and stressing about it. In a way, Student Senate was a security blanket for me. I was confident that with this on my resume I would be guaranteed a scholarship and a job. I wasn’t entrusting God with my life; I was in control. But all that is changing now.  During the week when I resigned, many different channels were telling me the same message: my prayer life, multiple friends who don’t know each other, bible passages, prof’s lectures, essays, chapel, random emails, etc. They said, “You’re too busy to trust in God. Give him your life. Follow him.” When everything around you seems to be telling you the same thing, you know that it’s not a coincidence: it’s God sending you a pretty blatantly clear message that you would be a fool to ignore. So on November 9, 2010, I handed in my letter of resignation, thus officially stepping down from my position as VP of Finance and surrendering another part of my life to God. I would like to make it clear that my resignation was purely a spiritual matter. I still believe in the mission and vision of Student Senate and all the clubs and activities that they support. I wholeheartedly wish our Senators success in the rest of the year, and I will continue to pray for them and the rest of the administration and leaders at Redeemer. I want to apologize to the Redeemer student body, Student Senate, and the Redeemer Business Office for any difficulties that you may have due to my resignation. I also fully support the new VP of Finance and am willing to train and assist him in anyway necessary so that the student body feels minimal effects from the turnover. I would also like to thank my friends for their encouragement to follow God’s call and for the overwhelming support that I’ve received from the Redeemer community after my resignation was announced. I’m not saying that I know everything – I’m still trying to figure out my calling – but I truly feel like the Redeemer community has been carrying my burdens and directing me to God. For that, I am deeply grateful! Thank you.

Sincerely, Katelyn Borgdorff

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