It's been said before that "you will find true love when you least expect it," but this statement is wrong. We don't find love, love finds us. I used to laugh at that quote and all the quotes that fill Pinterest to the brim. This was especially true the summer before I started college. The story that follows isn't sad or heartbreaking. It's funny and exciting. As summer begins, I want to reflect on the biggest headline of my freshman year and share some advice.
As I finished high school and enjoyed my last few months before college, I was determined to focus on myself. Relationships in high school are... well, 99 percent of the time (maybe 98 percent), crap. They're more of a way to occupy time than anything, and one of the best things about leaving high school was leaving that world of "dating" behind. While packing and preparing for this new chapter, I told myself no more pointless relationships. I had never been a serial dater, and I wasn't going to change because "college life" held that stigma. No way. My close friends and family know it best: I am a hard-working, outgoing, go get 'em kind of girl. My focus was on getting a degree and getting ahead of the game, not on the popular "MRS." degree. So, I stuffed my car full, kissed my family goodbye, and took off on my new journey. I had no earthly idea what God had in store for me.
Prior to departing for school, I made some friends in a UGA Class of 2018 Facebook page and we started a GroupMe. (NOTE: If you're an upcoming freshman, those pages can be life savers.) Out of the 20+ people in the group chat, the person I clicked with most, once arriving to school, was the one girl I had thought was snobby through our chat. That itself was ironic. I became friends with this awesome girl immediately and my freshman year was off to a great start! Everything was looking up...
and then, she mentioned she had a an older brother that went to UGA too.
I almost instantly picked up my phone and started Facebook creeping. I couldn't help myself. I was curious. Sure enough, his blurry Facebook picture confirmed he was extremely handsome, so when she asked if I wanted to come with her to hang out with him one night, I said why not? I figured I'd meet him, he'd be nice but nothing really extraordinary. WRONG. (This is the point in the story where God looks down from heaven, laughing from the irony, and says "I'm about to turn her world upside down.")
It might sounds cheesy, but when I walked in to the room and laid eyes on him, I knew something special was about to happen.
Nine months later, I'm happier than I've ever been and I finished my first year of college with a boyfriend by my side. That's definitely not something I could even fathom happening last August. That first night, we clicked instantly and the rest feels like a dream. Girls often describe their boyfriend as one of their best friends and sometimes it's true, sometimes it's not. Well, this man is my best friend. We have an incredible friendship and an indescribable amount of love and respect for one another. Best of all, we have a Christ-centered relationship, and we grow together everyday. I knew I loved him a short time after meeting him, and I can honestly say I have never doubted it since.
To think it all started because of Facebook.
Every student heads off to school with some idea about how they want to handle relationships in college. Some stay with their high school sweetheart, some head into college "single and ready to mingle" (LOL), and some, like me, go with no intention to start a relationship. None of those options are wrong. College is about so many things. For the first time in your life, you are an independent adult. No one is holding your hand and you have freedom. You never know whose waiting for you around the next turn. We shouldn't let today's hookup culture make us believe we can't find love in college (or anywhere for that matter). God created us to love, and He created us to love one another. I've always believed in the power of love. It is the greatest thing we have to offer. I've also recently started believing in soul mates. Whether you agree or not, to each his own, but God will put the right person in your life at precisely the right moment. It's not impossible or unthinkable to fall in love in college. Age is but a number, and time is a man made concept. My best advice: keep an open mind. The best things in life tend to happen when you least expect it.
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13
