College is a time for growing. Growing into independence, friendships, relationships and even just growing up in general. That first day when your parents drop you off at the dorm, you are responsible for making your own decisions. These choices can make a huge difference in your life and make you who you are. You are faced with the choice of where and if you go to church, who you hang out with and how you spend your time.
So many young people are leaving the church during college. Why? It’s because they don’t have their parents there to wake them up and make them go. You have to be responsible and make sure that you have a strong enough faith and do the right thing. You can say, “Oh, I’ll just miss this one service and then I won’t miss any more.” It doesn’t work that way. More likely than not, you’ll slip and end up missing more and more. This kind of attitude is not healthy for your spiritual life. You need to stand up and take control. Surround yourself with others that can hold you accountable, encourage you and help you grow spiritually.
Who you choose to spend your time with can affect who you are. College is all about your education. The most important thing is getting you ready for your future career. A close second is the friendships that you make.1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.” If you are around negative people who are a bad influence on you, your attitude will reflect their's and you will become more and more like them. However, you can become the best you can be if you surround yourself with good people that are a positive influence on you. You want to have friends that are there to make you a better person, and in return you need to try to help and encourage them to be great as well.
You also want to make sure that you are spending your time in a way that is reflecting Christ in a positive light. You don’t want to be out drinking or doing other things that will make people question you as a Christian. Do something for someone who needs help, call your family back home, do homework, make something, clean, watch a movie or just sit down and talk with your friends. Occupy your time doing great things with great people!
College is a hard time to get through at first, but once you start up and get through the first semester, you’ll get into the swing of things. Like my parents always tell me, “Start strong and finish strong!”
