College is a very chaotic point in life. Class, friends, work, activities and sports tend to consume all of our time. The independence that comes from breaking out of the family routine we have grown so accustomed to can be overwhelming, and we have a hard time making time for everything we should. We are encouraged to not burn ourselves out by prioritizing our lives and eliminating what is least important to us on the never-ending to-do list. Unfortunately, one of the items that sometimes doesn't make the cut is faith life. Making time for prayer and church isn’t something that should add stress to our schedules, it is a lifestyle that will relieve all of the anxiety and stress. People do not always understand this concept, so instead they mold themselves in a routine that is devoted to personal planners rather than God’s plan.
We are constantly being informed about all of the horrible things happening in the world. We are trained to trust no one and to live in constant paranoia of what might happen next. It can be easy to become pessimistic, focusing only on the negativity of the world around us rather than the peace that is within us. It is easy to stick to what is black and white in the world and only focus on facts, concluding that the world is doomed. Instead, we need to open our minds and hearts to the little joys that happen each and every day. The little things that remind us of God’s presence like the sunrise, friendly smiles, or simple acts of kindness. If we seek goodness, we will find it.
Last week I was at Eucharistic adoration and was hit with the realization that while I worry about a lot of little things, life is so much more than that. There is a lot of bad news in the world, but there is so much more positivity in the world than we recognize. Every single morning we wake up is a reason to celebrate. Every breath we take someone else could be fighting for. We need to be humble in realizing how truly blessed we are. Sure, we have bad days where we feel stressed and upset, or the world seems downright cruel, but the mere fact that we are here is enough to restore our faith.
The world is not doomed, our hearts are just becoming blind to its goodness. Make time to stop and appreciate God’s love in the world. Of course, life gets tough and there are very difficult times that make us question our faith and who we are. That is normal. Don’t shut your faith out of your life because you can’t fit it into your schedule, or because it is not coming easily to you. It doesn’t work like that. College is a time where everything is temporary and passing, but faith is eternal. When we seek God's guidance and focus on His goodness, life is pretty great.
