Maintaining Your Faith While in College
Take it from someone who has been there, maintaining your faith while in college takes a conscious effort. While I was a graduate student, I was bombarded with lots of assignments and to top it up with being far from home, one can slowly give in to “excuses” and have reasons to “drift”. I mean life can’t get busier than this.
“Yes, it sure can”
As a matter of fact – “It gets busier than this…Career, marriage, business…and don’t forget kids (if you plan on having one).
You get the brief. The lie we tell ourselves while we are in college about our dwindling faith is – ‘I am too busy, I have to pick one – academics or my faith’. You! Yes you! Rolling your eye at me, we have been down that road several times…The busy road.
In college, it is quite easy to have our convictions tested and feel like we must select one. An extreme is subbing academics and focusing on faith alone. But I believe it doesn’t have to get to a point where you must choose. God wants you to have a relationship with him and excel in every endeavor.
The question on “almost” every college student’s mind is – How do I maintain my faith in college?
While you get to meet different people with different cultures and beliefs, it is important to hold firmly to what you believe in. Maintaining your faith in college goes beyond coming from a Christian background or being “good”, It is having a relationship with God in a time when it isn’t to. So:
Find a Church Community: Remember this saying – “It takes a community to build a child”? I think this saying applies to the church also. Every Sunday I go to church, I feel like the message was crafted for me alone. That’s the kind of place you should want to be in.
Surround Yourself with Friends That Share Same Faith: Our friends often times influence who we are. This isn’t to say that all your friends must be those who share the same faith as you do. However, this means that you have friends who can encourage you when needed, you can discuss your faith with, and when they spot you making a mistake, they call you out. Having friends that speak the truth is necessary at every stage in your life.
Join a Fellowship in School: I attended weekly fellowships that weren’t on campus but if you can find one in school then that is awesome. This was one of the ways of maintaining my faith. A strategy that has always worked with me is locating fellowships that I can attend and be a part of. Maintaining your faith requires more than going to church on Sundays. It is about building a relationship and I believe fellowships are built in a structure where you can discuss topics that are not addressed in church. Also, seeing other youths and young adults who desire a relationship with God is a great environment to be in.
Be Actively Involved: Going to church every Sunday isn’t all you need to maintain your faith. Being actively involved and pouring back to the lives of others leaves you fulfilled. I believe when you can build others you will continuously try to build yourself also. Because what you don’t have you can’t give.
It may not be an easy road but it is one that pays. Also, maintaining your faith while in college does not imply being boring and having a straight face. Sadly, a few people expect that in maintaining your faith you should have no “social” life. That’s untrue as it gets. It just means that you have priorities and you place your faith above everything else.
You can still be fun and sassy (bold)!
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