Often, it's easy for college students to see Christianity as a list of "don'ts." "Don't get drunk," "don't sleep around," "don't dress that way," the list goes on. It's pretty natural for college students, particularly freshmen, to stay away from any sort of "don't" list. Many of us have this mentality of boundless freedom; being able to do whatever we want, whenever we want, and however we want it. It seems that our generation also has an exceptional sensitivity to judgement. I think these characteristics of our generation are a big reason for why the idea of Christ can be so scary to some of us.

Here's the thing: Christ is not some guy sitting in Heaven checking off our mistakes on his "don't list." He doesn't spite us for our sins, our mistakes, or our failures. He isn't there to point out every time we fall; rather, he's there to be the one that picks us back up. This might come as a huge shock, but we are all human, which means that we all make mistakes. Christ knows this, but he loves us anyway. By 'love,' I mean an infinite, eternal, fervent love. His love for us is so deep that our brains can't even fathom it. It's easy to downplay because we have never (and will never) experience a love that passionate here on Earth. It simply doesn't register in our brains that it's even possible for someone to love us like that. Christ can show us that it's not only possible, but it is life-changing. All he asks us to do is accept this love. Yet, even if we don't accept it, he still loves us.

The fact is, accepting Christ into your life, even as a college student, isn't scary. Your faith doesn't take away from the "college experience," the fun, or the friendships that you make. Better yet, it fills those college experiences, friendships, and that fun with fullness and meaning. Christ is not trying to be a fun-sucker. He simply knows what's best for us, which means He also knows what isn't best for us. Of course, there will be unavoidable bumps in the roads of life, but Christ is there to guide us through all of them.

I may not be the typical college freshman, but I'm OK with that. Christ is not forcing me into my current lifestyle; rather, I am choosing to live my life for Him.