I start my senior year of college this week. This feels really weird. When I nervously walked into freshmen orientation approximately four years ago, I would never have imagined how quickly my time in undergrad would go. So much has happened to me in these fast four years and I can't believe in eight months my time at little ol’ Trinity Christian College will be over.
There is so much I’ve learned in college, and am expecting a lot more learning to be done this school year as well.
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I’m a big believer that the learning that is done outside of the classroom is just as important as what is done in the classroom during one’s time at college (sorry to any of my professors who are reading this).
If it weren’t for these past four years, I wouldn’t know how to live with people. I wouldn’t know how to cook when there is approximately three items of food in my pantry. There’s a ton of bands I would never have listened to if it weren’t for suggestions from friends and roommates. I wouldn’t know that getting 7/11 for dinner is a terrible idea if I didn’t first learn through the awful experience that is going to 7/11 for dinner.
The word that defines almost everyone’s college experience is growth. I’ve done a lot of growing in these past four years.
I’ve grown physically (mostly horizontal growth, if you know what I mean).
I’ve matured a lot. From the person who lacked confidence and wanted everyone to like him so much his freshmen year, to the person who still struggles with that a lot, but not nearly as much as I once did.
I’ve grown in knowledge a lot. I would have never imagined going to grad school, but I am currently going through the application process because I learned how cool it is to learn.
I think the place I have grown the most is spiritually. I am at a Christian College, so growing in one’s faith should be easy correct? That is not the case. This is nothing against Trinity, because I believe this to be true about all Christian colleges. Being a Christian in college is really hard, even when there are things like chapel and worship services to attend. The reason it is hard is because of the things I just mentioned. Growth comes with growing pains.
Gaining weight does not boosts one’s self-confidence..
Maturing means having to move on from certain friends, which is really difficult.
Growing in knowledge requires challenging one’s previous world-view and comfort zones.
In all of my self-growth I finally realized that I really could not live my life on my own and that I needed Christ to guide my life. But God is more than just a crutch when I don’t feel strong enough…He is my everything. This is something I forget constantly when my health, my friends, my grades and my extra curricular activities seem to consume me.
Luke 12 has been a section of scripture that has helped me a lot over the past four year. This is my favorite part (22-26)
"Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"
My growth as a college student has brought a lot of anxiety and worry, but God will provide. His provision does not mean giving me what I want, it means giving me what I need. So as I and the rest of the college students continue our undergrad journey’s, remember that there is a provider and if we grow, we will worry, but we should not worry, because if God takes care of birds, he will take care of us.
