During the past few years, many studies have discovered that the times where someone's faith is tested the most are during two times: catastrophes and college. Think of all the stereotypes that college is perceived as in the media; partying 24/7, drinking and smoking galore, sex as casual as a handshake, and peer pressure all around you. While most stereotypes are not true, college is basically exactly that. Every day, students battle with having temptation all around them and to be a Christian during this time, it's difficult. And it may seem like you're the only one. But believe me, there are more people out there than you think who are trying to fight this pressured battle every day.
On top of being surrounded by temptation, another difficulty of being at college is feeling like you're the only one that has the beliefs that you do. It seems like everywhere you turn, people are more invested in who they are going to hook up with on Friday night than they are with going to church on Sunday. And that's hard sometimes. Sometimes it may feel easy to give in to all the pressure and temptation because everyone doing it seems so happy and like they're having so much fun, but if you stay true to your morals, you'll realize that the life God has in store for you will slowly unfold. Here's how to stay true to the Lord during these times of temptation:
1. Become friends with people who share your beliefs.
One of the hardest parts of college is making friends. With so many new people around you and being in a new place, it's hard to find a group of people to fit in with. But the easiest way to stay true to your faith is to befriend people who share your beliefs. It may seem hard to find people who would rather stay in, watch movies, and talk about how great the Lord is, but I promise they're out there. And I'm not saying unfriend people who don't share your beliefs, they're your friends for a reason, but you should definitely add some who do share yours. Finding these people brings me to my second point:
2. Join a Christian club, youth group, or a Bible study.
It may be scary to put yourself out there or join a club when you don't know a single person. If you're anything like me, the thought of going somewhere where you don't know anyone is terrifying. But if you take the risk once and go to one meeting, one session, or one study, I promise it will be worth it. You will make more friends at that event that you love than you will doing anything else. It's so much more satisfying praising the Lord when you're around friends who love doing it as much as you do.
3. Make time to go to church still.
Trust me, college will be time-consuming. Between the 30 minute naps you take in between classes and the study breaks, you will feel like you'll never catch a break to devote a solid few hours to the Lord. But make Sunday's your day to let your stress go and go to a church. Try a few out to see which ones you enjoy the best. This is also a great way to meet new friends who share your beliefs, and don't be afraid to go alone! You'll befriend the person next to you in no time! After all, God has crafted us each one by one, so the least we can do is devote an hour of our week praising Him.
4. Download a bible verse app to your phone.
Like mentioned earlier, college is very time-consuming and it may seem like you won't even catch a break to eat most of the time. So download a bible verse app to your phone. You can set it up to send you a verse a day, which is a great reminder during your hectic schedule. A great one I recommend is Word Alert. You can program a time in the day for it to send you a notification of a different verse every day, which is awesome. A good time to set it is during a time when you're the most stressed out, such as right when you leave class or at night when you study. Or even when you wake up, so you can start your day off great!
5. Although people around you might have different views, treat others as Jesus would.
Your peers and friends may be as crazy as crazy can be, but that's no reason to judge them or treat them any differently. It's very tempting to talk bad behind people's backs when they don't dress like, act like, or have the same views as you, but that's the worst thing a good Christian can do. Talking bad about people whose views you don't support makes you as bad as the actions they're committing. Jesus died for everyone, not just the ones who supported him and shared his views. In fact, if someone doesn't share your views, take that as an opportunity to befriend them and maybe grab a cup of coffee and share the word of the Lord. So always be nice and open to everyone, they're no different than you and me.
6. Stay faithful even when things are rough.
It's easy to veer away from the Lord whenever things are going bad. It's even easier to forget about prioritizing God when things are going great. But always remember, whenever He puts obstacles in your life, He's putting them there for a reason. He's trying to bring you closer to Him. Remember, He already has our life planned out beautifully, so if God brings you to it, you know He'll bring you through it. Just keep reminding yourself that all of this is a part of a bigger plan and that when you overcome it, something amazing will be waiting for you on the other side.
7. When sin is tempting you, remember your true morals as a Christian.
First things first, no one is perfect. We all sin sometimes, we all make mistakes. Shoot, if there's a perfect Christian out there, please let me meet them to ask them how they do it. We are surrounded by sin every day, and sometimes we're going to slip up, whether it's telling a lie, being jealous of your boyfriend or girlfriend's friendship with someone of the opposite sex, or falling into a sexual act. When we make these mistakes, we have to pray to ask God for forgiveness and ask him to better us as Christians. However, the best way to avoid this regret and guilt is to avoid committing the act in the first place. If you ever feel yourself getting jealous of a friend, contemplating cheating on an exam, or think about telling a lie to get out of class, remember that that's not what is going to get us into those golden gates up top. It will be hard, it will be agonizing sometimes, but remember that you're better than that and that God will be waiting to grant you eternal life if you live as He tells you to.
8. Don't forget to say your prayers.
At the end of the day, we're tired. We want to jump into bed and finally get a few hours of shut eye before we have to wake up and do it all over again. But don't forget to take a few minutes to thank God for everything He's given you. Although nothing may seem to be going the way you want it to, thank the Lord for everything He's granted you with. Remember, He only gives us what we need not what we want. So whether things are going amazing or things are falling in-between your fingers, remember to close your eyes and speak one on one to Him. He's always listening. He's always there. Thank Him. Praise Him. Vent to Him. Cry to Him. If it feels like no one is there, He is. And He loves us unconditionally. Amen to that.
