This past fall, I entered a new season of my life: the college years. In so many ways, God prepared me for this new adventure, and the transition from living at home to living in a dorm room went smoothly. However, I wasn’t expecting to face the pressures that I’ve encountered. Even though I am privileged to attend a Christian college, there are still many times that I have to take a stand for how I believe God has called me to live. I often feel that every standard, conviction, and belief I have is being tested and tried. God is continually trying my faith and testing me to see where my true allegiance lies. Throughout this process, He has shown me several key elements that are crucial to living wholly for Christ in the midst of a college campus.
die to the approval of others
Dying to the approval of other people is not only critical for Gospel-centered living during college, but it is critical for a Gospel-centered life. Being continually concerned with other’s opinions, or how we come across, or what kind of impression we make is an entangling trap. Paul said, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). We must realize that a fully consecrated life to Christ is rare, even amongst Christians. If this is the path you have chosen, be prepared to be seen as extremely odd, to be misunderstood, and to be looked down upon. But at the same time, be prepared to taste and see that the Lord is good from firsthand experience. Be prepared to find fulness of joy in His presence and deeper fulfillment than you’ve ever known before. And be prepared to find your greatest delight at the feet of Jesus. If you literally die to the approval and the applause of not only this world, but also of other Christians, you will find all you’ve been longing for in the person of Jesus Christ.
slip away often
When you’re in the midst of a busy semester at college, with tests, papers, and countless projects, it can be easy to put time with the Lord on the back burner and begin to view it as something you will do if you have extra time. But the truth is, you probably will never have “extra” time. Even Jesus needed to slip away for time alone with His Father. “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35). I’ve found that no matter how busy I am or how many things I have due the next day, time with the Lord is crucial. It’s not only critical that I get up in the morning and spend the first part of my day with Him, but it’s also important that I slip away throughout the day to be with Him. Even if it’s only for 15 minutes between classes, I need that time to quiet my heart before Him, be reminded of who He is, and be re-charged to continue living for Him alone. No matter what your schedule is like, I would encourage you to slip away often throughout the day to be simply be with your Lord. When I am faithful to do this, I find that everything else falls into place and gets accomplished.
pray through everything
All too often, I get in the rut of “survival mode” and become so focused on the tasks at hand that I forget to pray about each one. I forget that nothing is to be done in my own strength, no matter if it’s a final exam or a short discussion post. In all things, whether great or small, I need His wisdom, His strength, and His help. I need to open my mouth wide and allow Him to fill it (Psalm 81:10). I must cast my burden upon Him and allow Him to sustain me (Psalm 55:22). And it’s critical that I ask Him for the wisdom that I lack (James 1:5). With each assignment that comes, I’m reminded that I need to commit it to the Lord, rely on Him to complete it, and pray through it. We can do a great deal in our own strength, depending upon our own wisdom, but God has so much more to give us if we will simply look to Him.
give up trivialities
There is a common mentality on college campuses (Christian or secular) that states, “Have as much fun as you can because you’re only in college once! Stay up late, party on the weekends, get involved in every possible activity you can, and throw devotions in here and there when it’s convenient. It’s only 4 years of your life - so live it up!” I’m not against having fun or planning various outings with friends. I don’t think all recreation is bad. But so many of these gatherings are spent goofing around or on trivial things, and in my heart, I just can’t justify spending my time in that way. Not when God’s promises true joy, pleasure, and fulfillment in His very presence. Not when I could be spending an evening with my King in ways that will impact eternity. Yes, I’ve been accused of being antisocial and introverted. I’ve been told I need to loosen up and have some fun. But the truth is, I do have fun. I find more enjoyment in an evening spent with my Lord than I ever could in a night with the greatest entertainment there is. I don’t live this way because I think I’m better or more spiritual than others. I don’t make these decisions because I think it’s wrong to relax with friends. I have chosen this path because I have tasted firsthand that the Lord is good, and that He has pleasures to be shared only with those who have an undivided heart. Jonathan Edwards said, “We are nothing if we are not in earnest about our faith, and if our wills and inclinations are not intensely exercised. The religious life contains things too great for us to be lukewarm.” There is no time for us to be halfhearted in our love for the Lord, our devotion to Him, our faith in Him, or our obedience to Him. There is no time for us to be lukewarm in our study of His Word or in seeking Him in prayer. There is no time for us to trifle with things that have no eternal value. Because of God’s work in my life, I’ve come to realize that I don’t want a whole group of friends, countless activities that make me look and feel like a “normal” college student, or even good grades. What I want is a relationship with my Savior that is consistent, intimate, passionate, real, and sweeter than anything else in all the world. What I want is to be controlled by His Spirit every minute of every day, to walk victoriously by the power He has provided, and to abide in Him always. What I want is to truly walk with Him and go with Him to reach the lost. At the end of the day, Christ is the One I must reckon with, and if He is pleased, that’s truly all that matters. To know Him is to love Him, and to love Him is to live radically with reckless abandon. May we be willing to give up trivialities, no matter how strange we may look to other people. Let us put away our obsessions with anything but Christ!
be willing to wait
While statistics may show that the majority of people meet their future spouse at college, that isn’t any reason for us to succumb to the pressure to “meet someone” and get married. We must remember that it isn’t our responsibility to be scouting guys out, seeing if they would be a potential mate, or looking for opportunities to observe them. We don’t need to seek to get their attention or make ourselves known. Rather, we are to focus on Christ only, minster to others with Him, and leave the area of relationships untouched in His almighty hand. We can still be friendly and encourage guys in the Lord, but there is no reason to go out of our way in an effort to build relationships with them. “How are you ever going to meet a guy and get married then?” the concerned question may arise. “Watch my God,” I will reply. “He loves to be God and work without any manipulation or conniving on our part.” Just because college yields an environment in which we may be around many young men each day, and just because college is supposedly the place where we will meet our future husbands doesn’t mean that we should throw standards and convictions out the window. Just because there is a certain amount of pressure to meet someone doesn’t mean that we should stop waiting wholly upon God to act on our behalf. If God has marriage for me, I want to one day be able to look at the relationship He has brought into my life and be able to say that I didn’t do anything but wait, rest, and trust. No manipulation, no positioning, and no helping. May we be willing to wait upon our trustworthy Father! “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God” (Hosea 12:6).
As we seek to live wholly for Christ in the midst of a college campus, we likely won’t be understood by those around us. But my prayer is that we would fix our eyes so firmly on Jesus that everything and everyone else would grow strangely dim in light of who He is. Like Paul, may we not account our lives of any value, nor as precious to ourselves, if only we may finish our course and the ministry that we received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24).
