Sophomore year has come to an end.

If you’re anything like me, reflecting is vital to moving on to the next part of life. I feel like I can’t properly continue in my next chapter of life without having some quiet moments to think about the lessons learned.

Oh and trust me, there have been plenty.

1. Your advisor is your new BFF

Believe me when I say that your advisor is one of the most influential people during your college years. I did not realize this until this year. When you’re feeling down and out about next year’s schedule or contemplating a double major, your advisor will be right there to give you the wisdom you need to endure. Halfway through college, you’ll realize time is sensitive and looking into internships is around the corner. Your advisor will hook you up. Not only that, but they are there to walk with you through life. Having an adult to invest in you during these crucial years is a blessing. Take advantage of it. These professors have lived through more life than you have, so don’t discredit them. Ask them questions. Fill them in on your personal life. You won’t regret it.

Disclaimer: I know not every advisor is solid. Switch if you need to!

2. Conflict is either a challenge or threat

The world is filled with imperfect people; therefore, there are no perfect human relationships. Conflict is bound to occur between two people, you just need to ask yourself how you are going to view the issue at hand. There have been many times throughout this year that problems had come up in friendships and relationships. I made the mistake of labeling some of the dilemmas as a threat. If something were to go awry, I felt as if it threatened the relationship. My mentality of that basically ruined the friendships, along with other factors. Looking at the conflict as a challenge could help grow relationships and make them stronger. Communication, commitment and compromise are all powerful things. I wish I had known this lesson sooner.

3. Honesty without love is cruelty

If I had a nickel for every time I had opened my mouth to say something negative about a situation or another person, I would still be poor. Why? Because I would truly gain nothing if the words that came out of my mouth were full of bitterness and resentment. There were a lot of times this year I wish I could have shut my mouth and let God tear up my entitlement. Everyone has their short-comings, but it doesn’t give anyone the right to belittle them. Constructive criticism is the real deal. Don’t sugarcoat, but be wise in criticism. Use love. Be uplifting to one another. Point out the positive attributes about someone. Words are life and death.

4. Don’t go home every single weekend

My freshman year, I went home about a total of… *pause for dramatic effect*… every weekend. I lived (and still do) 45 minutes away from school so it was an easy drive. Everything changed my first semester this year when I transferred to another school 13 hours away. I couldn’t go home if I had wanted to. That was discipline, and it was worth it. I got used to staying on campus over the weekends, and that habit literally transferred over into the next semester when I came back to Mobap. I learned that staying on campus on the weekends meant that the community grew stronger. My relationships became tighter and I was involved. My freshman year, I had missed out on so much going on. Since I wasn’t home all the time, I began to appreciate and love my family in a new way. Balancing home and school is do-able.

5. Treat yo' self

I am one of the biggest believers in taking care of yourself. It’s okay to reward yourself with some ice cream or a pedicure. Just don’t indulge, though. Being nice to yourself is so underrated. I found that giving myself breaks and treats here and there motivated me to press on with any task. For example, I had a 10 page paper, a 5 page paper, and a 3 page paper all due within a week. You know what I did after I turned those in? I got some delicious frozen yogurt and stayed up late with my friends to hang out. Work hard, be responsible, then go adventuring in the city or get a manicure.

6. Spend time in the Word every day

Hiding myself in God’s Word kept me alive this year. Let me tell you folks, the Bible is powerful and real. This is the direct line to the King of Kings, the God who cares deeply for His creation. Through the mundane and through the crazy, reading my Bible helped me persevere. Did I read every single day? No, I didn’t. But I knew and felt it when I didn’t sit down to spend time with God. It’s a discipline that I am training in. I want to have scripture in my heart and I want to know Jesus more so I can be more like Him. And I want to be more like Him so that others can taste and see that He is good. I saw that spending time in the Word was important more in this year than I ever had before. Life won’t ever be easy, but I know I have a God who has given this gift of his Word to us so that we don’t have to walk through it alone.

This list is not exhaustive by any means.

My sophomore year was difficult, yet so incredible. I honestly would not change a single thing.

Next year will bring about a whole new set of lessons to be learned. Some will be no-brainers, others will be hard to get through this thick head of mine.

But man, God is so gracious. He rules everything and I know He is a good father by teaching me these things.

I. Am. Still. Learning. And so are all of you.

To all you sophomores out there, let's kick junior year right in the you-know-what and let God work in a mighty way.