When you leave for college your entire world changes. Your perspective is flipped, you encounter new adventures, and you create friends for life. It's a time in our lives where we are so incredibly busy, it's crazy to think of all the things we get done in just one day. College is a time to discover yourself and to create a vision for what you want your future to look like. Soon after entering college, I found myself getting involved in organizations and less involved in the word of God.
Eventually, I just brushed my faith to the side and let everything else in my life take over. College is hard, but it's even harder to remain strong in your relationship with God if you don't focus your heart in the right places. It's been a journey, but I'm so glad to say that I'm back on track in my life journey with God. I know at times you may feel discouraged, so here are some verses that helped me find my way back to Jesus.
"But He knows where I am going, and when He tests me I will come out as pure gold." Job 23:10
Are you serious? Through all the tests you will ever go through, God will make sure you come out as pure gold. What's better than that? It's inevitable that you may come across some challenges, but God will be right beside you. He will never make you face anything that won't ultimately help you in the end.
"You can still return to me with all your heart." Joel 2:12
With ALL your heart. All of it! Isn't it sweet that God wants your whole heart? He wants the good and the bad, the beautiful and the not-so-beautiful. It doesn't matter what you've done, you can still return to God. He accepts everyone with open arms, no matter the circumstance.
"He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together." Colossians 1:17
This is such a sweet reminder that God is higher than everything. College is stressful, and there are going to be thousands of times when you feel like you're at your breaking point. This is the time to remember to do what you are doing through God. He will keep you up when you feel like life is too much for you when you give all that you're facing to him.
"Create in me a clean heart, O God." Psalm 51:10
Think about this. He doesn't care about your past, He only cares about your future with Him. Every day you wake up you have the opportunity to ask God to cleanse your heart; it's up to you what you want to do with that. We're all searching for change and He loves us enough to give us that. He has the power to wipe your heart clean, and give you the chance to completely start over.
"I loved you at your darkest." Romans 5:8
This is the verse that ultimately saved my life and brought me back to my Savior. You could be the worst person on this planet, and God will still have loved you through everything you've done. It doesn't matter what you did or how your heart used to be, God loved you through it all. He knows your whole heart and still loves you the same. God's love never changes, even if you do. His love is the same everyday, even when we aren't deserving.
God is the same day after day. How lucky are we?