Getting Away with God — Sean's Story

For college students across the country, the rigors of academia and social pressures on campus can leave them feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes, all they need is a chance to get away to be with God.  

Off-campus camps and conferences may seem like a simple, normal college ministry activity. But for Sean from the University of Utah, an InterVarsity fall conference took his new faith in Jesus and deepened it extraordinarily.  

Sean grew up in a strict, disciplined military family that stopped attending church when he was around 13 years old. He didn’t believe in God, until his baseball teammate invited him and a few friends to church his senior year of high school.  

After three months, his friends stopped going. But Sean was curious and eager to experience more, so he continued going to church by himself. “I was like, ‘Okay, there definitely is a God,’” he said. “I think that was God working in me.” 

In his second semester at the University of Utah, Sean’s friend Ryker invited him to InterVarsity. From spike ball games, to movies, Sean enjoyed the new friendships he developed in InterVarsity. Nothing compared, however, to the mental stimulation he felt during Bible studies, which allowed him to understand more about this God he had chosen to believe in.  

But something was still missing.  

“There’s this point in your faith when you’re first introduced to God. I believe in what Jesus did for us, and I want to devote my life to becoming closer with [him]. But you don’t really know what that looks like.”  

As a sophomore, Sean began feeling the pressures of school and the competitive nature of his major. Around that time, his InterVarsity chapter announced a weekend fall conference that was coming up.  

I’m so overwhelmed with school, he thought. I really need a break. 

As the conference began, Sean prayed he’d let go of the control of his life he held so tightly to. “I’m going to just let you do what you want to do,” he told God over and over again that weekend.  

On Saturday night, InterVarsity staff were available for prayer ministry in one of the rooms of the hotel. Sean walked into the room, not knowing why but feeling like God wanted him to, and a staff began praying with him.  

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“Let me in and open up,” Sean heard God say to him. “That was where everything changed. This was the first time I’d heard God speak to me.”  

The simple words Sean heard from God connected with him powerfully. Growing up with a strong military influence had taught him to close himself off. He felt like he was supposed to hold pressures and anxieties in, to be a man, to handle things on his own. He realized that throughout his life, he had created a persona as someone who appeared perfect and didn’t have struggles, at least not any important enough to share with others –– not even God.  

Then, Sean felt a nudge from God to not only let him in, but to also let at least one other person in. So, he immediately shared what happened with Ryker.  

“The amount of peace that I got from that was huge,” he said. “I didn’t know you could have that much internal peace.”  

After fall conference and back on campus, Sean felt free, and his perspective changed.  

“When you go through college, you have so many decisions to make: What’s your major? What internships are you going to want? Now, my perspective is just what can I do to make God proud and serve his purpose?” 

And this never would’ve happened if he hadn’t gone to fall conference. It served as the vehicle for Sean to hear from God for the first time and to learn that opening up to God and to people would change his life and give him a peace beyond his understanding. 

“I crave just being by myself with God. [It’s] the biggest impact God can have on your life.”