Good morning students. This is Life 1301 so if you are in the wrong room go ahead and exit quietly.

Now that we’ve dealt with that, please notice what seat you are in. This is where you will be sitting the rest of the semester. I do hope you chose your seat mates wisely. I will now hand out a syllabus describing everything we will be doing in this class. Please notice my office hours and contact information. Please feel free to stop by or email me if you have any questions. I have typed the the name of our required text. Purchase it and take notes over the first chapter by our next class period. Each assignment has a strict due date and a description of my expectations. In this class, you will learn everything there is to know about life. We will discuss the purposes of this class. Since you are college students, I am sure you have countless questions regarding your life. Don’t worry, I will answer every question you’ve ever had. By the end of this semester, you will have picked a major, career, spouse, hometown, and life goal. Very well, let’s begin our first lecture.

As a college freshman, I can only dream of enrolling in this class. Unfortunately, I have yet to find this class offered at my college. However, I can take Kinesiology, Statistics, and Marketing. Yay, I’m sure they’ll basically teach me everything there is to know about my life (sarcasm). I’m quickly learning that there is no such thing as Life 1301. I tend to think that there is no book that describes exactly how each individual is supposed to live their life. That there’s no class lecture that tells me what my life will be. There is, however, a fair amount of people asking me what my major is, what I want to do with my life, and who I want to marry.

Coming into college, I excepted to immediately find a passion for a specific major. I expected to immediately feel drawn to a career. I was surprised with how long it took to find deep friendships that push me in my faith. I hated how long it took me to find community both on campus and at church. My first semester consisted of frustrations and stresses. I found that my faith was being stretched and pressured as I was away from the known and comfortable aspects of being at home and in high school. I quickly found that I am completely powerless and weak.

If I stopped right there, life would be a complete booger. I mean, how depressing would that be? College has shown me just how important faith in God is. Without having Him as my support system, I would fall apart faster than my bank account goes down (lol college). I suppose the word that best enhances life is faith. Without faith in God, I would have no hope, no joy, and no purpose. My heart aches for those who lack this faith. How terrifying and impossible life must seem to them. I’m sure they feel like there is no professor, textbook, or lecture that could tell them about life. However, faith can completely transform someone’s view of life.

For example, faith shows that there is, in fact, a textbook. The Bible is God breathed and living in our lives today. Of course, without faith, this sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo. But with faith and patience, I can read God’s word and He can use His verses to speak truth and wisdom into my life. Sure, there is no verse that says, “you are going to major in (insert major here), will be a (insert career here), and marry (insert dude’s name here).” (If you do find that verse, though, hit me up). Nah, that’s not how I find my direction. If that verse did exist, there would be no need for faith in God. And life is all about faith. Through faith, there is a professor with lectures. My professor is God Himself. I’m humbled to even think about the fact that I can come boldly before God in prayer and petition for guidance. Then God can work in countless ways to teach and guide me. I have found that He graciously uses people in my life to help me. I can find these God-fearing people at my church on Sunday mornings, in my home group, and in my friend groups. My pastor and home group leaders can share wisdom with me and God can use them in my life. My friends can speak truth to me and hold my hand as I walk through life. Sure, all humans are sinners and we all struggle. Sure they will not always have the right answers. But, through faith, I can trust that God will use them to stretch and grow me in my faith.

If I forget to put faith in God, I quickly fall into fear of the future. Looking back, I see that many of my difficult days last semester resulted in finding faith in myself and my abilities. When I think about the fact that my natural tendency is to rely on my own strength rather than God’s, I imagine a specific moment. You know when you’re hanging out with your friends and they start joking about something that you do or say. At first, it’s funny but then they keep going and you feel like you have to keep laughing. But really you start to feel embarrassed and bad about yourself. When I think that I know life better than God, I laugh out of pain in hopes of playing it off. But really, I know I could never compare to any aspect of God. And yeah, that hurts. That hurts the pride that I cherish so much. It hurts the image I assign myself. But that’s a healthy pain. That reminds me who I am in comparison to God.

As my second semester comes to a close, I easily fall into the temptation of taking my life in my own hands. I try to plan every aspect of my life. My planner is full for this week and the next week and the next week after that. I find myself thinking about which major I should chose and what I want to do with my life. I want to have control over everything I possibly can. But praise God that He’s got it all covered. Everyday I am learning and relearning to put my faith in God rather than my own abilities. I can find peace in the fact that I don’t know where I will end up. I can find peace while God guides my every step. And I find peace in the fact that the purpose of my life is to glorify God. Why should I stress out when I know that God can literally use anyone? I don’t have to be in some specific job that I have in mind for God to use me. He doesn’t even have to wait until I’m in a career to use me. God can use right here and right now. As a broke, naive, and clueless college freshman, God can use me. I don’t need a fancy job or a degree to glorify Him. God is limitless and it’s about time I stop trying to limit Him with my desires and plans.

So I’m done. I’m done trying to figure my life out on my own. I’m done thinking that I know what’s best. I’m done with putting faith in myself as opposed to God. If I was enrolled in Life 1301, I would drop that class faster than a freshman couple’s breakup. Because I would never want to miss a chance in growing my faith in God.