It comes as no surprise that college is a whole new world. New friends. New surroundings. New experiences. Basically, a new life. What you don't always realize is how all of this change is affecting the ones around you, maybe even yourself. At one point in time, you were known, important even, but now you are surrounded by thousands of people just as qualified, if not more, than you. You are a "has-been" athlete. You are one of hundreds with a 30 ACT score. You were decently involved and had okay grades compared to the new sea of people that surround you. To be frank, you're just average. Minute. Insignificant.

That's not always an easy pill to swallow, but, thankfully, it also isn't true. You may no longer be the star of your high school basketball team who averaged 30 points a game and carried your team to state, but you still hold a role. You still have a purpose. The past may not be easy to let go of, but it is necessary in order to move on to what you are called to do. Throughout life, you are called, and led, through different seasons. Ecclesiastes 3 points out two of these seasons as "a time to plant, and a time to pluck up which is planted." Maybe that is the season you are in right now, you are having to pluck up what you have spent so much time caring for, but that is only so you can plant the seeds for the next stage of your life.

It goes on to say that "he hath made everything beautiful in its time", for some, you may have not reached that time just yet to where you are able to recognize that beauty that lives within you, but I can promise you this. It is there. You are blessed with a gift and called to a role that no other person can fill the way that you can. Your significance comes from your character, your kindness, your generosity. So during this time of doubt and questioning, realize that you aren't supposed to have all the answers, and, more importantly, you aren't called to be perfect. You do not need to be powerful. You only need to be you. Friends will come. Jobs will come. Love will come. Your purpose will make itself clear. All will come in due time. For now, find comfort in knowing that you are so much more than any label and that your worth is not situational.

You were once exceptional, you are still exceptional, and you are exceptional in what you are becoming.