August is a lot of things. August is hot, for one. August is the “Where did summer go?” and the “Crap. Look at my sleep schedule.” August also means National Race Your Computer Mouse Day, in case you didn’t know, and More Herbs Less Salt Day. So, clearly, if it wasn’t for school, August would be something to celebrate. In all seriousness — August is the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, and, for a lot of us, August is the first time we’ll be on our own. The first time we’ll really have the run of the place, the first time we’ll be making our own decisions, the first time we’ll be living a) in a shoebox and b) off Ramen.

All of this can bring about a boatload of excitement, but with that excitement comes the unknown. That being said, the first thing God wants you to know is:

1. It’s okay to not have all the answers — to, for maybe the first time in your life, not have it all planned out.

College is scary because, plain and simple, we don’t know. And we haven’t known, not since junior year when all the “Where are you going to college?” questions started flooding in. We don’t know anything, not from the little things like what we’ll eat in the dining halls and who we’ll hang out with to the bigger things like what sorority/fraternity or clubs we’ll join and what we’ll major in. We don’t know what living with a roommate will be like or how much worse our sleep schedule can possibly get. But that’s life, and we’re never going to know, not until it happens. 2 Samuel 7:9 offers comfort in saying, “I have been with you wherever you have gone.” We’ve hit roadblocks and we’ve gotten around them. We’ve hit rock bottom and we’ve risen above it. Everything we thought we would never get through, we’ve gotten through. We’re here. No matter how daunting something seems, no matter how different or new it may be, we’re going to be fine. Because we always have been.

2. The best type of goodbye ends in a hello.

You’ve heard the cliche. When one door closes, another door opens; you know the drill. But it’s true. You’re leaving your comfort zone — your house, the streets you learned to drive on, your friends, team, workplace, you name it — behind, and goodbyes are anything but fun. But you’ve learned from the last 18 years of your life, you’ve grown, and you’ve changed because of everything that’s happened to you. All of this has made you into the person you need to be to become the person you want to be, and it’s going to be amazing. Ecclesiastes 7:8 says, “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning.” You can’t be stuck in the same place forever. You’ve got all these dreams and ideas, but to make them happen, you’ve got to move your feet. You have to be willing to move your feet. But even knowing this in the back of your mind, the last time you hug the one who’s been by your side for years on years is hard, scary even, especially when you’re wondering if you’ll ever find someone like that again. Which leads me to —

3. Your true friends will stay by your side, no matter the distance.

There’s no if’s, and’s or but’s. If your friend is really your friend, if they really truly love and care about you, it doesn’t matter if you’re 2000 miles apart or living down the hall from each other. The ones who are meant to be in your life will stay there, because when you love someone, you make it work. Few friendships can stand the test of time and even fewer can stand the test of distance (take it from someone who’s moved cross country multiple times), but those that do are golden and God-given. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for times of adversity.” Distance is hard. College is hard. It’s going to be full of a lot of self growth and discovery, and everyone is going to change. But a real friend, a real brother, will stick by your side through all of it, rooting for you and loving you, even if from afar.

4. Be open minded and open hearted.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “For the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” A lot of us are going into college thinking we’ve got it all mapped out. I know I am — I already know what internships I want to go for, what semester I want to do them, what clubs I want to join, the works. But I have to keep in mind that these things may or may not happen — and I have to be open to what God has in store. Because it is always, without fail, going to be bigger and better than anything I could’ve come up with. It’s hard as a human to not only believe but remember and accept that, but once we stop getting hung up on the things we once thought would happen and just go with the flow, everything gets a lot easier and a lot simpler. If you had told five year old me that I wasn’t going to become an Olympic figure skater, I wouldn’t have believed you — but I quit after a year of lessons, and here I am at age 18, not training to win the gold anything. But that doesn’t mean five year old me was already a failure, that doesn’t mean my life isn’t going anywhere, that doesn’t mean my world ended. It just means being an Olympic figure skater was never on the menu. So don’t stress if your major changes five times, if you don’t land the job, if you don’t get a bid for the house you wanted. Something better always comes. You just have to trust. And, finally —

5. You are not alone.

There are going to be times when you start to question things. Maybe it’ll be 4 am and you’re the only one still up cramming for that test, or maybe you’ll be walking to class by yourself and pass a group of people all talking and laughing and start to miss your high school friends. We’ve got a lot ahead of us. There will be a lot of ups — a lot of ups — but, it’s life, and inevitably there will be downs as well. Just know that you aren’t in this by yourself. Life isn’t a one player game. People come and go, but there’s one who never will — Jesus. He’s by your side even when you don’t want to acknowledge Him, lifting you up every time you fall and, as Proverbs 7:6 says, He will be walking before you, “He will make your paths straight.” Matthew 28:20 says, “And behold, I am with you always,” and those words are not said lightly. “Always” is no joke. That’s a promise. And a promise from God is one you can bet will be kept. Rest easy, He’s got you. From move in to rush week to the first day of classes. He’s there.

To all you incoming freshman out there, good luck. I’m in your boat. There’s a lot to think about and a lot to get done, but for now I’m going to try and figure out how in the world I’m supposed to fit all of my stuff in half a room — the biggest college-related obstacle I’ve faced yet, if we’re being honest.