President Davis shares her story at All College Hike

Published: October 07, 2022

On the day that much of the Greenville University community participated in the annual All College Hike to Durley Camp, President Suzanne Davis shared her personal spiritual journey as an undergraduate student here.

But unlike the linear 6-mile hike taken recently by the students, faculty and staff, her path included many starts, stops, and dead ends. Until she made a U-turn.

To illustrate her story, which she shared during a chapel service at Durley Camp, Davis read the account of Nicodemus in Chapter 3 of the Gospel of John. Because he was a pharisee, Nicodemus came to Jesus alone and at night to discuss spiritual matters. He had heard of Jesus’ miracles and teachings, and he wanted to know more.

Jesus told him: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Troubled, Nicodemus asked how a literal rebirth could happen.

“It challenged Nicodemus’ beliefs and self-concept,” Davis said, “because as a religious leader he was supposed to have all the answers. Yet he didn’t. I like Nicodemus– perhaps because we are both lawyers – but more importantly because I see myself in him. He had lots of questions, often hard questions. And he struggled to grasp that Jesus could be the savior of the world.”

Davis said that Nicodemus exhibited three notable characteristics: He was curious, he was smart, and he cared enough to take a stand.

• He was curious. “Nicodemus was curious enough about the teachings of Jesus to question his own beliefs as a Jewish leader,” Davis said. “As a college freshman here, I had turned from my faith because of the suffering I had seen in my family due to a rare genetic disease. When my brother died from the disease, I was rebellious and mad at God.

“I asked those tough questions,” she continued. “But I also prayed, read scripture, and talked with faculty members and friends to try to make sense of it. I eventually came to faith in Jesus because he alone could answer my hard questions. Likewise, I encourage you to meet with your professors or other staff members to talk about the big questions of life.”

• He was smart. “Nicodemus was smart enough to see something special in Jesus,” Davis said. “He saw how Jesus was the fulfillment of the law. Nicodemus realized that he was on the wrong side of things as a pharisee, and he was willing to ask the hard questions.

“I like to live with the end in mind,” she added. “Only 3% of the people with the genetic condition that I have are still living. I don’t take for granted that I’m in that 3%. That fact changes the way I live.”

He cared enough to take a stand. As a pharisee who embraced the teachings of Jesus, Nicodemus took a stand against the teachings of his peers, Davis said. It was a risky move to have that late-night talk with Jesus, but it changed everything for him.

“I was like Nicodemus,” she said. “I came to Jesus and was born again because I asked tough questions after the death of my brother. Many people here cared for me and walked with me through that valley. But it was Jesus who met me in my time of need – just like he did with Nicodemus.

“Here at Greenville University, we’re not afraid of the hard questions. In fact, we encourage you to ask them. And we’ll be there to walk alongside as you consider the life and teachings of Jesus.”

President Davis and her husband, Phil, on the All Campus Hike.