As a Christian in college, there are some essential things that you have to know in order to be successful throughout your four year adventure. I call it an adventure because it is a wild ride with new and unexpected obstacles and blessings coming at you every day. This is something every young Christian will realize at one time or another. Here are 5 key lessons and facts that every Christian in college must know:
1. Your Faith will be tested.
As I've written about before, struggling with your faith is a common thing that happens to most people at one point or another; however, realizing the power God has given you and the strength you have to endure whatever the enemy chooses to throw your way is your key to knowing change is coming. Just because you're in the middle of a storm, doesn't mean God has forgotten about you. He does everything in perfect timing, so just know that anytime you hear a "no" from God, he has something far greater in store.
2. You will not find a Godly man/woman until you stop looking for them and start pursuing Him!
This is possibly the toughest things Christians in college struggle to understand. I will admit, when we enter the college realm we sometimes lose sight of our ultimate plan with Him. It's not always drastic, but it does happen. If you do happen to get off track in your walk with God, you should not expect a perfectly good and decent person of the Lord to find their way into your life. You cannot expect a man or women of God to settle for a lukewarm individual. The Bible calls for all couples to be equally yoked, and equally faithful in the pursuit of Him.
3. Abstinence is extremely difficult, but very well worth it!
As a writer, it's my job to tell the truth and I think it's important to do here. I will admit when in college you will be surrounded by people with all kinds of beliefs, and there are definitely added pressures. Not always, but most of the time you will meet people who will openly talk about their private lives and try and convince you that the way they're living is completely warranted because it is accepted by the society in which we live. By no means do I believe people who don't practice abstinence are bad people! However, just because you see or hear about someone you know live a way which isn't right by God doesn't mean you personally have to accept it. Let your boundaries and limitations be known! I promise you will be respected a lot more for doing what you believe is right than doing something you're uncomfortable with because you feel it's right. Abstinence is well worth it because if you find someone who is willing to wait for you then you've probably found someone who is right by God.
4. Diversity is not meant to change you, but it is meant to help you better understand who you are!
When coming to college you will be introduced to a plethora of people of all different ethnic backgrounds, faiths, religions, cultures, statuses, and classes. With each, they're often presenting to you things that you never thought about or ever even heard of. This can often be challenging because there are people who feel the complete opposite way than you do with your faith. They will present to you their alternative views and tell you the negatives about the Christian faith and your morals.This often makes us feel like we need to conform who we are to better fit the mold of what the society around us feels we need to do in order to be "good" citizens. If you are in a truly diverse atmosphere it's completely feasible to have an open free-flow of ideas that are respected. This means you will become better equipped in understanding who you are as a Christian so that you can can defend your faith to those who have alternative views.
5. Learn. Learn. Learn. And never stop learning!
Christians have to actively pursue Christ even in the most difficult of situations. In pursuing Him, we have to continue to learn more about hHm and about ourselves. Even as we near the end of our lives we still have some learning left to do. Learning is equivalent to growth, and in college there is always time to grow. Don't let the fear of the unknown prevent you from making a leap of faith with Christ. Seek knowledge about it and pray for guidance.
At the end of the day, Christians in college have a very specific job to do and that is to live our lives in such a fashion that others can't help but want to know about the power of Christ. If you can say you're doing that then you're doing everything that's been asked. College Christians should never stop trying to be better people!
