By Adelaide Aiken, Class of 2026
When people asked what I wanted to get out of the Fellows program this year, my answer was always the same: I wanted to truly feel God’s presence in my life – not just mentally know He’s there. Naturally, I assumed that would happen through more intentional quiet time, prayer, or through involvement at church, but God had a different idea: feeling His presence through my dependence on Him.
The pressure to rely on yourself is everywhere in today’s culture: ‘Invest in yourself first.’ ‘Work harder to earn more responsibility.’ ‘You choose your own destiny.’ The last few years have been one step of independence after another – getting my drivers license, going to college out of state, graduating, and now starting over in a new city with new people. Yet as I have listened to peers a few steps ahead of me (Shoutout fellows alumni!) and mentors wiser than me, God has consistently shown me that we’re actually created to depend on him – even for the smallest things. It has been the biggest weight off of my chest.
Since moving to Charlotte, I’ve seen the beauty of dependence in so many places—friends asking God to guide conversations and work meetings, inviting Him into emotional turmoil, living with a host family and watching them invite God into their everyday lives, and being part of a community that genuinely wants to pour into me and see me thrive.
When I assess my need for him, I realize his presence and involvement in my life is everywhere! I need Him at work when my to-do list is long, in my morning routine when I’m tired from a full week, in conversations when my energy is drained, in processing change, in deciding how to spend my free time, and even when I exercise. I need Jesus in everything I do.
It is humbling yet deeply relieving to realize that God wants me to depend on Him. He is the source of life, and He increases my dependence on Him through not only the big struggles in life, but the everyday mundane.