By Amellia Hausmann, Class of 2026
I began this journey with a 10-hour drive from Memphis to Charlotte, filling that time with music, podcasts, and audiobooks with no real end in mind. One particular podcast stood out to me in a way I wouldn’t realize until much later. This episode was on the topic of prayer, in which the guest spoke about a woman who had a close, personal, and intimate relationship with Jesus. She said she developed that relationship by spending two hours a day walking in the woods, just talking to and spending time with God. When I heard this, I remember thinking, “That sounds great, but I don’t have that kind of time in my day”, then I carried on with the drive, not giving it a second thought.
That is, until a little over a week later, on the first day of my internship. That morning, as I was getting ready, God put a verse on my heart.
“Abide in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it abides on the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” John 15:4
I considered what it looked like in my life to abide in God, and I realized that I don’t spend intentional time with Him as often as I could. That’s when two thoughts came to mind: the woman from the podcast and the looming commute I was about to take to my internship that is in Rock Hill (Long commute, but very cool job. Check out Baxter Mill Archive!). It dawned on me that I do have the time in my day to be with the Lord. Specifically, I have 45 minutes in the morning, and an hour on the way back home: nearly two hours of uninterrupted time. I decided to put this thought to action, and began listening to worship music, praying, or simply sitting in silence on my drive to and from work. I was struck with how much of a difference this made each day in how much peace and nearness to God I felt.
Dedicating my commute in this way has become an integral part of my routine this past month as I’ve adjusted to life in Charlotte, and it has been a sweet reminder for me of how much God desires real relationship with us, and how much peace is found in this mutual dwelling. Not only does He want the carved out and curated quiet times, He wants all of our small, messy, and mundane moments, and He even wants our drive to work.