It took me a while to figure out how to really write this article. My faith and my life as a Christian is not something that I profess often. It's not something that I find myself spouting from time to time to any who will listen. That's just not me. I am, however, the individual who still believes that just because I'm in college doesn't mean my faith should suffer. When I came into college I wanted a group similar to the youth group I had left behind. Being on my own in a place where I basically knew no one I felt like I was left to fend for myself. And to an extent, that was too true.
Granted, I basically almost grew up in my church back home. It was a place where I loved spending time not only being with friends and hanging out in a comfortable space, it was somewhere where I knew that I could have these conversations about my faith and question everything and I would only gain knowledge. No one was going to tear me down about my faith or ask me questions that I just couldn't answer at that time... And even then, I avoided almost all conversations that had topics which even remotely got "religious".
And I'll be honest, being a Christian in college isn't easy. Let alone being one in general. In college you might be faced with so many different people and encounter many religions. Being a Christian in college shouldn't mean that you're different, it should mean that you value your beliefs enough to continue to grow in them and love your God. And for me pursuing my faith into college meant finding a community where I could make friends, but also one where I could grow in my faith. Faith is something that is consistently there for me and it's also something that has made me who I am.
The campus ministry that I joined when I when I entered college was one that I was unsure of. Entering a new place with all of these new people who I had yet to know would turn out to be close friends. People who I trust and feel that despite our individual faith journeys differ we can discuss our own stances and our faith journeys and perspectives. And even through this amazing group of people I've grown as a Christian and even who I am. This article has been a long time coming and I never really knew- still not entirely sure- about how to write this article. It's not something that said or is really meant to have this loud message about being a Christian and in college, but it's just that I don't think I would be who I am without my faith. It's not the same as it was in high school, I'll give you that. But at the same time, I think it's the fact that I've found this community and grown through it- e.g. the little things- which give us towards those really big "life moments".
What I realized at my church in high school was that even through our faiths, faith, as a whole, is more than that. It's more than the music we listen to, it's more than the words we speak. It's what we do with our faith that makes it real. As Christians, our faith is what makes us who we are. I don't think that without mine, I'd be where I am.
