Anyone who has spent any time as a college student knows that trying to juggle schoolwork, working a part or full-time job, keeping your faith, and a social life can be overwhelming at times. The stress of trying to make good grades mixed with social anxiety puts many of us in a constant state of being on edge.
This past week I was listening to one of my favorite songs, My Faith in You by Brantley Gilbert. During a rough week both academically and personally, a song that I had listened to many times hit harder than ever before. The song describes a struggle of the singer of dealing with the world. He feels like he is at the end of his rope and is turning to God for help. He is digging through the Scriptures hoping to find the answers but is coming up with nothing. The only thing he is certain about is that he will not lose his faith in God. I have experienced this struggle first-hand and have not always been as strong as Brantley is in his song. Many times I’ve looked for answers in Jesus’ teachings, Paul’s many letters, or even a story in the Old Testament, I and just can’t seem to find anything.
The song opens with the line “Yeah this world will turn its back / When you find yours against that wall.” Sometimes in life, it seems like we have had our life crumbling around us and that the world is giving us the cold shoulder. This is where a great support group comes in handy. Proverbs 17:17 says “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” I have the privilege to have two friend groups who personify that verse in my fraternity brothers and my friends at the Wesley Foundation. They are always willing to go for a drive, pray for and with me, or just [to] play countless hours of video games.
Humans are communal beings by nature. We live in a time where we may have hundreds of followers and friends on social media but in real life only a handful that would drop everything when we need them to, making it feel like the world has turned its back on us. It is important to be in a community that supports you for who God created you to be, and will also challenge you to grow both personally and spiritually. Community is how we help grasp the world around us. This community may not be in Greek life or at a campus ministry like mine are, but there is a community out there for everybody if you are intentional.
