I grew up in a small, Midwestern town where everyone drank sweet tea, family came before friends, and everyone's business was known. Nearly everyone went to church on Sundays. I was a stereotypical Christian girl: the one who never partied, didn't even date, and followed the rules set by my parents. I'm a rule-follower by nature, so being a "good" Christian wasn't that hard to me, and when I chose to attend a secular university, I wasn't really concerned about what would happen to my faith. I figured I would attend church and keep being a "good" Christian girl, but I never imagined what would happen to my heart.
College has forced me to redefine what it means to be a Christian.
There's no good or bad Christian, since we are all inherently sinners by nature, but I have found out that there are Christians who are really in the faith, and others who aren't so much. Perhaps the most beautiful thing about college is that it gives you the perfect opportunity to decide whether you want to continue being a Christian or not, since you may not really get the choice when you grow up in a Christian household. But college is where I found my faith.
It is here where I have found people who are so passionate about Christ that you can just feel His love radiating from them. College has taught me the importance of the Church. It is so hard to get anywhere in life without being surrounded by a community of believers, but when you do have that community, you have a sense of support and reassurance. There is something truly amazing when you are able to talk to people about your spiritual lives and they are able to pour truth into your soul every single day.
College is where I have been challenged to become a woman. In college, I have met other girls my age who are real Christian women. The genuine Christian woman is one who is firm in her relationship with Christ and who builds everyone around her up. She is not vein, but humble, however, she knows her worth and will not settle. She knows that to score a gentleman, she must be a lady. It is incredibly hard to be a Godly woman, but because of the ladies that God has put in my life in college, I have people who encourage me to be the "Proverbs 31:30 woman," and who God has been using to guide me when I get lost.
It is here where I have learned what a Christian guy looks like. Of course, I always had a good example of this at home from my father and grandfather, but there's something refreshing about finding guys my age who are constantly striving to become men of Christ. They know how to put God first in their lives and in their bro-ships, and there is seriously nothing more attractive than seeing a group of guys sit around and talk about the Lord. They're some of the sweetest guys that I have ever met, and I know that they will always treat me with nothing less than the utmost respect. They have taught me that if I want a Christian man, then I need to be a Christian woman.
College is where I have learned the power of God. College is hard. It can be so emotionally taxing not only because are we going to school, forming relationships, and trying to not drain our bank accounts, but also because many of us are living away from home for the first time. God is the one thing in my life that has not changed, even as I've grown older and moved away. He has always been here. Just like alcohol, worldly things can only bring us so much pleasure before they start to ruin our lives. But God isn't poison to our bodies, and we can literally never get too much of him. He, unlike anything or anyone else in this world, is always ready to talk, even if we've ignored Him for a really long time.
It is here where I have learned how important it is to take time out for God. I didn't go to a bible study or a campus ministry last semester, but when I started going to both of those things this semester, I noticed a significant change in my life and my attitude. On Monday nights, I get to spend time with my fellow Christian sisters at our sorority meetings, and then the next night I go to a bible study in my residence hall. On Thursdays I go to Cru, and of course, on Sundays I go to church. Even when I'm feeling less than motivated to go to any of these, just surrounding myself with Godly people and taking the time to worship the Lord makes me feel so much more alive. The more that I spend time with God, the more I can feel him working in my heart, and there is no greater feeling than knowing that He is shaping me to be a loving, compassionate individual.
College is where I have learned to praise God constantly. I have learned that even when we are completely heartbroken, God is here to mend our shattered hearts. I have learned to give God the glory even in the hard times, and because of that, He has been walking beside me, and changing me for the better. College has taught me that we may have days where we are very unhappy, but there is great joy in knowing that God has our back. He gives us a reason to smile!
There is honestly nothing more beautiful to me than seeing hundreds of students taking the time to praise the Lord. I have met so many people here who strive to really love people like Jesus does and that's so encouraging. College has given me friends who want to know what I'm going through and who will gladly walk with me along the way. It has made me redefine what it means to be a Christian. We can go through the motions our whole lives and try to be a "good" Christian man or woman (which will fail), but when we decide to get to know Jesus, our whole lives change. We start to see the people who are sick, lost, and broken, and then we have the opportunity to help them.
If there is anything that college has taught me, it is that the purpose of Christianity is not just to have a relationship with Christ, but to do everything for the goodness of God and others.
