We all know how difficult high school is and then you graduate and become a freshman all over again and you’re being forced to decide your entire future when you’re only about a quarter way through your life. Seriously, I think I have a panic attack weekly. It’s pretty ridiculous, but throw in trying to keep in touch with God, and the stress and anxiety just piles on.
1. Losing Touch
The first thing that happens when you’re a Christian attending college is you lose touch. There’s so much to do and see and, honestly, you just really want those extra few hours of sleep on a Sunday morning.
You tell yourself, hey He’ll understand, and better yet, you don’t want your grades to drop. You still believe in Him, so what’s the big deal? Trust me, I had the same excuses and the first year I barely went to church. The worst part was that I went to a Catholic school, so it wasn’t like they were opposed to the Man Upstairs, but I wasn’t exactly ecstatic to return to a Catholic mass either. No beef with it or anything, but I get a lot more out of a Christian or non-denominational service.
2. You Feel Like You’re Missing Out
Sure, eventually you’ll get over the whole needing extra sleep thing, and realizing that you’re never going to get it, so you might as well go to service. However, you’ll get back to going to service on the weekends and you’ll start saying no to going out or partying or whatever else you experience in college.
I have experienced this horrible feeling so many times I’ve lost count. You just have to remind yourself why you’ve said no and stick to what you believe in. College is full of opinions and people who can’t (well, don’t try to) understand your beliefs and the actions you make resulting from those beliefs. I mean, it's not like you're double dipping or plagiarizing, so what's the big deal right? To this day, I still can't understand when other's don't try to be respecting of beliefs and actions different than theirs. Sure, if you ardently believe in ax-murdering than sure, yeah, can't relate, but going to church or saying no to getting plastered? I see no fault in that.
It’s one of the hardest things to do, especially when your decision effects the long run and so you don’t really reap the benefits of your good choice making until later down the road.
3. You Don’t Have to Not Go Out
Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying though. You should start saying no to things, yes, but you don’t have to say no to everything. I’m a huge supporter of ‘experiencing college to the fullest’ and ‘having adventures’. So, go to the party. You want to drink a little bit? Sure, go ahead. You’re name doesn't automatically appear on a plaque on Satan's guest list. Just don’t be stupid. Honestly, if anything, it’ll be a good practice run on your self-control. You don’t have to miss out on hanging with your friends. In fact, they’d probably be and feel safer with someone who is more self-aware being there with them. (As a little added bonus, it can be rather entertaining).
My first and second year, I learned that it is one hundred percent ok to say no to things, but also to experience college life without doing stupid things. It’s a lot easier than it sounds, but especially when you find good friends who don’t pressure you and who don’t judge you for your beliefs.
4. You’re Never 100% Percent Yourself
It’s hard to be yourself in the first place, but when you practice beliefs that not a lot of people follow so much at your age it can get really tricky. You will feel embarrassed a lot and then guilty for feeling embarrassed. You want to fit in, it’s a natural urge and a natural switch that just turns on when you’re with a group of people. I mean, all you want to do is pick a major that sticks and some how convince your advisor why taking a class on Harry Potter Literature and Influence is so imperative to your education (No? Is that one just me?).
It sounds very high school, but that feeling never truly goes away. Find a group of judgmental people, and in college you definitely will, and you’ll revert back to the chameleon that you often were in high school.
There’s no trick, or cure-all to these problems. You just have to deal with it and realize that people might laugh at you when you play your worship music, or they'll change the radio station. I can't tell you how many times I've let out a curse word or took a sip of alcohol and people acted shocked, as if I wasn't capable of making mistakes or doing the things that other college students do.
People may even be turned off to being our friend because your beliefs make them uncomfortable. There’s no sugarcoating the reality of it. You’re ahead of your time nowadays if you’re a Christian in high school and college. Your challenges are greater and the stakes are higher. It’s something I still struggle with to this day. My relationship with God is something that is integral to who I am and to my life style. I make time for him and I make time to get to service and worship him. It’s the only way to grow our relationship and to grow in my faith and in my personal growth as well. It’s who I am, and the biggest thing I’ve learned from college so far (sorry Professors) is to stop caring so much about what others say or think, don’t ignore them though. You can still be yourself and honor other’s beliefs and religions. I am who I am and God is the most important thing in my life. So far, college has been training for being who I am and living a life in step with Him.
