As a college student many have the tendency to loose their faith, not because they don’t love God, but rather they don’t know how to pursue Him. Which was my problem, and I still struggle with that daily. As Ash Wednesday has passed and the start of Lent is happening, reconnecting with my faith is really important. As a child I was introduced to God from an early age, and I am very grateful for that now. I went to a Catholic school from Kindergarten to my Senior year of high school. There was weekly and monthly mass and I took that for granted. I never took my faith seriously because it was always handed down to me and I never had to search for it. Again, very grateful for that now. I’ve always had a religion class and never thought how much of an impact it would have on me. When I came to college as a freshman I immediately felt something was missing. I quickly joined a bible study group called core group where we meet up once a week for a whole year and talk about our faith. It was probably one of the best decisions of my life. With that being said it was still a struggle to regain my faith and it still is a process.
Losing your faith sends you to a place where there is no light and direction, you feel lost. I continued going to the bible study because I knew I needed it, but once our meeting was over, I didn’t follow Christ. I never let His presence be with me and I turned him away because I felt like I didn’t need Him. It was until the spring semester of my sophomore I couldn’t keep turning away from him because I wasn’t truly happy. I began to question many things in my life and decisions in my life. I soon came to realize that I had to pursue Him instead because He will always have His arms open for me, but I must take the initiative to accept his open arms.
It has been a long journey, but the with the help of others I have truly been more in touch with my faith than I have been in years. The start of my junior year was where my faith took a turn and I didn’t feel lost. I was actually pursuing my faith and actively engaging in it. Not only did I feel present in my core group, but also in my sorority. One of my sisters had decided to do a bible study in my sorority and she would make a lesson for us for that week. This is where I fell more in love with my faith because her love for her faith was powerful and captivating. I had never seen someone who was genuinely happy talking about her faith. She is a part of the reason why I don’t feel as lost, she made want to seek out my faith and understand it.
Losing your faith especially in college is a journey and an experience. An experience that I wouldn’t like to try again, but I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. It has given me the strength to continue to pursue my faith and constantly be aware of His presence. I encourage all of you to keep finding your faith because He will always have His arms open for you.
