I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember, but college has made me stronger in my faith than ever before.

Growing up, I found it hard to be friends with non-Christians. It was hard for me to realize that being a Christian does not automatically make you nicer than other people. College really changed that for me because I have friends that aren’t Christians but are still wonderful people . I’ve realized that I have been called to love people, not convert them to Christianity. I can share my faith with anyone I want to, but they must make the decision to believe for themselves. God wants Christians to first love Him, then love others.

As far as staying strong in my faith, this passage of scripture has really helped me:

“As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience, and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing and yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 6:4-10)

These verses cover almost every situation I could ever face, and it’s a reminder to keep to God’s commands even when life gets hard. With God as my foundation, life doesn’t get easier, but the way I respond to life gets easier. Sometimes I forget that God is in control and I rely on myself to get through hard times. I have peace when I know that God is in control and He has a plan for everything.