If you ever wonder when to start doing what God wants: start now.

UTA Parking can be tricky. If you haven’t delved into the depths of it, there are seemingly endless parking lots that all look the same, but have various rules attached. Even as a student, it often confused me. That familiar confusion hit me again last week.

I was driving around the west side of campus looking for a particular parking lot. Two of our college students, Tabitha and Savannah had asked me to meet them outside of the Fine Arts building to help deliver some water bottles. Finally finding the spot, I parked, said a quick prayer that I wouldn’t get towed/ticketed, and stepped out to see Tabitha waiting outside of the Fine Arts building.

Tabitha is studying for a degree in theatre design and technology, with a focus in costume studies. In other words, she wants to be a costume designer. She was decked out in all black today due to it being tech week for their latest performance. Tabitha assured me that I was probably fine to park where I did. I told her I hoped she was right.

In a minute or two, Savannah arrived in her car to drop off some bags full of water bottles. As I removed the bags from the cars, I noticed that the bottles were different than expected. The labels had been replaced. Rather the standard label, a custom designed label had been printed, cut, and attached to each bottle. The label read: “Seek the Living Water, John 4:10-14”

John 4:10-14 reads:

Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”
“Sir,” said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.”

Savannah had to head to class, so Tabitha and I carried the water bottles into the theater.

Because Tabitha is a costume designer, she has full access to the backstage rooms of the theater. She took me to each empty dressing room and we placed the water bottles at each mirror. While we were doing this, I had to ask her what prompted Savannah and her to do all this.

She said, “It all started due to what we have been talking about at the college ministry in disciplemaker training and the BSM fall retreat. I realized that if I’m going to be involved in theater for the rest of my life, be around people who need to hear the good news of the gospel, and share with them then, why can’t I start now?”

What a statement! What a question: “Why can’t I start now?” It’s a question we should all ask ourselves when it comes to following the call of God on our lives. We are called to make disciples – not at some point but now. We are called to “Go therefore” – not at some point but now. What’s stopping you? What’s stopping me?

Since this delivery, Tabitha started a prayer meeting for the cast and crew that meets before their shows. People have started coming. Some don’t go to the group, but have approached her personally to ask for prayer. In being creative, obedient, and bold, Tabitha is a powerful witness in an area that I have no access to. All because she realized that she could start now. In her words, she’s “never felt more spiritually alive” since taking God at his word and living on mission for him.

P.S. If you’re a college student looking to be like Tabitha, we at the college ministry want to equip, encourage, and connect you! Join our disciplemaker team and get trained to live on mission. Are you ready to start now?