A Note of Gratitude from One Student Leader at Yale
By yoska guta, '25, christian union lux
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function so in Christ, we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. -Romans 12: 4-6 (NIV)
The last two years that I’ve spent with Christian Union (CU) Lux at Yale have been a blessing to me. Through this Christian community, I’ve not only grown in my personal walk with God, but I’ve also seen and experienced what it truly means to be in the Body of Christ. I’m tremendously grateful for and blessed by the way God has brought this group of people together and shaped each of us to form one body, each member belonging to all the others for the benefit of each other and for the glory of God.
A great blessing this past semester has been the huge increase in the number of men in the body of believers at CU Lux. In my time at Yale, Christian Union Lux has been a predominantly female community, so we began praying for a greater number of men to join, and the Lord has been faithful to answer. Witnessing how close and invested the men of CU Lux are in each other's lives and how quickly these friendships have built, not only among 1st years but across all the grades, is a testament to the work of the Lord.
I’ve also been personally blessed by the sweet time of fellowship I’ve had in the junior women’s Bible Course and with the women of CU at large. While reading through Colossians this fall, we’ve had the opportunity to discuss many topics that have weighed on all of us in our walk with God. We’ve also been able to confide in one another and see the Lord knit us together in His love as we care for and sharpen each other. Through one-on-one discipleship meetings, over group meals, and during large group discussions, we’ve shared testimonies, confessed our struggles, prayed for one another, and encouraged each other in our walks with the Lord.
In John 13:35, Jesus tells His disciples, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (ESV). Many of us have said that the friendships we’ve found in CU Lux are ones that will last a lifetime. But the beauty and fruitfulness of these friendships are not a result of our effort or ability to befriend the right people. Without a doubt, it is nothing short of God’s miraculous work! The love we’ve received from and shown to each other is truly an outpouring of the love He has put into our hearts through His Holy Spirit. I know that my time at Yale and my walk with the Lord would not look the same without these people, and I thank God alone for this.
For we can not become or accomplish on our own what we can in the body of believers, unified by the very Spirit of God. For we can not glorify God and serve effectively as His Body here on earth as individual, disconnected parts either. Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church of Corinth saying, "I appeal to you brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and there there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought" (1 Corinthians 1:10) and "Finally brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you" (2 Corinthians 13:11).
Learn more about Christian Union Lux at Yale here.
