So I’ve met this guy; His name is Jesus, and He is my new best friend. College has opened my eyes to God’s astounding love and mercy for me. Once you’ve tasted God, nothing can separate you from His love! Now my faith is something I am in control of. I decide when and where I want to go to church. I choose to listen to Christian radio stations and playlists. I take time out of my day to read scripture and journal. I have started to own my faith instead of half-heartedly following what I had grown up being taught. I have witnessed His power and have started to realize how important it is to turn to Him when I am struggling in my life. When I am facing a decision, whether big or small, turning to Christ has given me an unspeakable peace. Recently when I was facing the decision of whether or not I was going to change my major, I spent a lot of time in prayer, and God truly showed me the way.

I knew that if I decided to change my major, my life would completely change. Changing my major meant transferring schools and not graduating on time, but something that I have learned these past few months is that my plan is not necessarily God’s plan. God has been so present in my life it is incredible when I think about it, but recently I have started to see Him differently. Coming to Austin Peay has definitely tested my faith, but as a close friend once told me “If your faith isn’t being tested then you can’t grow.” I have found a faith family here at Austin Peay that is completely different from anything I have ever experienced. The people here just have a different spirit about them; they are on fire with the Holy Spirit!

My truest belief in life is that everything happens for a reason. This simple statement gets me through the day. I did not “waste” time at Saint Louis University, because if I had not attended there, I would not be where I am today. SLU cultivate and strengthened my faith with constant opportunities to worship. SLU made it easy to love Christ. Now that I am at APSU, I have to choose to worship; I have to choose to grow in my faith. Making this choice and taking this step is what has grown me even closer to the Lord. Before coming to Austin Peay I knew that there was a God who was above all else, but now I know who Christ is. Christ is the kid who sits next to me in my education class and the lady who swipes my card in the cafeteria. Christ is the custodian in the library and the children on the playground. Christ is in everyone around us, we just have to recognize it.

A couple of weeks ago at church, the pastor encouraged us all to pray this simple prayer “God if you exist, change my life” and man oh man has He changed it. I know without a doubt that there is a God that LIVES and He is in the business of changing lives. Before I was going through the motions, wading ankle deep in the pool of faith; now I have dove in! I’m all in for Jesus!