It is extremely difficult to balance a relationship with God and college. Growing up, I’d always heard that many college students struggle with their relationship with God. I never thought that I would be one of them. I kind of always believed that I would somehow be the college student that defied the odds and was just different. But once I actually got to college, it wasn’t that simple.
If you are in college, you understand why it is extremely difficult. In the beginning, I did my Bible study every night and I prayed all the time because if we are being honest I was just scared half to death to be there and I needed God to remind me that I was exactly where He needed me to be. But the more comfortable I got at my college, the less I relied on Him. I made my own friends and I became a stronger person than I ever expected. So when I began finding my strength, I began to rely on Him less and less. I remember the first Sunday that I had to go to church on my own. At that point, I was so excited because I would be able to church-hop (which I recommend to every college student in a new city because there is a church that fits you better than any other—you just have to search a little while to find it) and hopefully end up at a church that would help me grow in my faith and would challenge me. After a while, though, my relationship with God was nothing more than going to a new church on Sundays and Wednesdays and trying to force myself to make time to pray.
Maybe that isn’t you. Maybe you aren’t struggling and maybe college has completely grown your relationship with God. Maybe you got involved with the BSU and other local college ministries in your town and everything just clicked. That’s amazing if it did. College is supposed to grow you and mature you in many different ways. It is supposed to challenge you and strengthen you-- maybe it has been that way for you already.
But for some of us, college has been a struggle. Some of us got involved but couldn’t get involved. Until now. Now is the time to walk closer to God than ever before. If your reason for not getting involved is because of your parents or your friends, remember that college is a time to find who you are. Not who they are. In my time of being down about my walk with God, He showed me that He is the only person that will ever be able to heal my relationship with Him while I’m in college. He’s the only one that can take the mess I’ve made this past semester and mold me into someone new and someone exciting. I expected for it to be easy—but it definitely hasn’t been. College is different for everyone. Some people are able to take it and grow and others are completely run over by their new lives.
My advice to anyone, no matter what stage in life you are in, is to take time each day to spend time with the Lord. I know—many of you have heard that advice a million times. But I am a firm believer in that now. My main downfall was that I didn’t spend the time I needed to with God this semester. I let friends, schoolwork, and sleep get in the way of my relationship. I am not saying that that stuff is not important—trust me, it’s so important. But God is important, also. When we allow other things to take the time that we should be spending with God each day, we are allowing our relationship with God to be put on hold while we live our lives. But God wants to be a part of our lives. He wants to walk beside us every day and He wants to lead us through the day. God created Adam and Eve to walk in close relationship with Him. Even after they sinned, they were still with God and every person in the lineage of Adam and Eve have been walking with God through life ever since. When life gets busy is the best time to draw close to God so He can guide us through the day.
My second bit of advice is to challenge yourself daily to pray to God as often as you can. I find myself walking to class every single day and my mind is racing about the different aspects of my life that I want to get accomplished in the next few hours. Sometimes I am going over notes in my head and sometimes I am just enjoying my walk through the quad. That is the perfect time to talk to God and tell Him about your day. Believe it or not, He wants to know about it! He wants to know every aspect, and that is something that I so often forget. He wants to know me on the most personal level. He wants to know about the cute boy in your life or the class that you’re struggling with. He wants to know everything because He is the creator of your life and He has already planned everything for you. So He knows what you’re going through.
My last advice is short—just use the time that you are given to praise Him. Take the time to think of all that He has done for you and take the time to worship Him throughout your day. He is deserving of your everything.
Give the next semester to God and allow Him to do something BIG with it. Maybe you are actually like me. Maybe you didn’t spend as much time as you should have with God during this past semester of college. Maybe you forgot to pray sometimes and maybe you didn’t do a Bible Study. But that doesn’t mean that God can’t do amazing things this upcoming semester. Decide now that it is time to strengthen your relationship with God and He will do whatever it takes to do it. And remember that you aren’t alone—find a friend that is also struggling and work on it together. This is too important to forget, and it is too important to neglect.
No, it is not impossible to have a relationship with God during college. It will take work and dedication, but it is so worth it. A relationship with God is so worth it. Remember that as you go into this next semester.
I'm right where you are-- let's finish this race together.
Acts 20:24-- However, I consider my life worth nothing to me. My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task that God has given me-- the task of testifying the good news of God's Grace.
