By Isabella Mason
Synopsis: Remaining a faithful Christian while attending college has its challenges; how can we overcome these challenges with the Lord’s help?
This past August, a big change took place in my life. After being homeschooled for my entire elementary and high school education, I began my freshman year of college at the University of Central Arkansas. Now I have just completed my first semester, and my experience with the secular world has had its challenges. As a Christian college student, I have had to learn how to find the balance between school, my Lord, my family, and my friends. This is not always easy when you are getting pulled in several directions all at once. I certainly have not done a perfect job of it. However, I have learned a few important things along the way.
Is college a challenge? Absolutely, yes! There are assignments due, papers to write, homework to finish, and tests to take seemingly nonstop. However, it isn’t the academic challenges that threaten one’s soul. The devil sees an opportunity when Christian young people go off to college. He loves it when they get so busy that they forget about their God. He loves it when they become disconnected from their grounded Christian family and friends. Most of all, he loves it when they listen to the lies fed to them by that unbelieving college professor with a doctorate.
One of the biggest challenges for me this semester was keeping my priorities in order, which is ironic, considering my favorite verse is Matthew 6:33. It says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” This verse is my favorite because for me it represents what the Christian walk encompasses—making God your number one priority. This became a struggle for me as I added hours of classes and studying into my everyday schedule. Sometimes, trying to make good grades became such a focus that I would go a whole day without having spent meaningful time in the word of God. Guilt would nag at me for knowing that I had not done my best to make time for the Lord and sometimes He would feel far away.
I knew that a relationship with the Father takes work and time, but time often seemed to be evading me. After all, James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. . .” As a Christian, if you want to feel close to God, you must actively seek Him. Every morning when you wake up, you must decide to take up your cross and follow Him (Matt. 16:24). We have no guarantee that life as a Christian will be simple (2 Tim. 3:12)—sometimes you have to balance God, family, school, and work. When you become overwhelmed by the surmounting floods of responsibility, remember that falling short (Rom. 10:23) does not mean failure. The Christian life described as a race (2 Tim. 4:6) and a walk in the light (1 John 1:7). If you stumble, the key to victory is to get up and keep going. God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6).
What is holiness? To be holy means to be set apart. Christians are called to be holy (Rom. 12:1; Eph. 1:4; 1 Thess. 4:7; 2 Tim. 1:9) and set apart from the world—a peculiar people (1 Pet. 2:9). Because the Father is holy, He asks His people to be holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16). As a Christian college student, I have felt my differences from the world more than ever this semester. I have witnessed rampant immodest dress, profane language, degradation of faith in God, and the hearty approval of sin. It has been easier for me than for some to separate myself from such things because I live at home instead of on campus, but I still have encountered plenty of immorality. Christian college students cannot fall into the trap of wanting to fit in with those around them. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world. . .” The devil will try to convince us to give in to our desires (Jas. 1:14-15), but with God’s faithful help, we can overcome (1 Cor. 10:13). The world will hate us because it hated Jesus (John 15:18-19) and we have to be ready to face that reality.
Christian college students must be careful about the friends they choose. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” Whether we want them to or not, our friends have a strong influence on our behavior. I tried to be careful about who I spent time with this semester. I decided that if someone frequently used bad language, I would rather not hang out with them all the time. If you know that someone is going to influence you to do sinful things, do not let them get close to you. You can show kindness to someone and even have conversations with them in class without allowing them to be a constant influence in your life. We should rely upon our godly family and friends to be our support—not those of the world. If we have holy friends, it will be easier for us to remain holy as well.
When you get busy, overwhelmed, and exhausted, it is the perfect time to pray, but praying doesn’t always come easily—at least not for me. I know that as a Christian I should pray continually (1 Thess. 5:17); however, sometimes prayer feels tedious. I never want it to feel that way, but sometimes it does. Does this mean that I give up on trying to pray? No, because I know that if I do give up, my relationship with God will suffer. Prayer is vital to a Christian going through the stress and anxiety of college (Phil. 4:6-7; Ps. 18:6). When you pray, it should be from the sincerity of your heart, not to be seen by others (Matt. 6:6-7). Prayer is a powerful tool that God has given us. If we neglect it, God slips away from the center of our lives. The key is to keep trying, even when you fail, because the Lord knows your heart (1 Sam. 16:7); He knows if you want to grow your relationship with Him through prayer. If you cultivate your prayer life, you will grow closer to God in faith.
A Christian is supposed to be a light to the world (Matt. 5:13). This means that we should be shining the light of Jesus wherever we are—even at college! Matthew 28: 19-20 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Youth does not exempt us from this duty. Something that I try to do to shine my light is talk about God in the small opportunities that occur. This does not always result in a deep biblical conversation. When you mention Christ and live in a way that reflects Him, people will notice, and it can influence them for good!
Another good way to influence others is by inviting them to Bible studies. I know that this often comes with rejection, but if you ask them and they say no, it is not your fault (John 12:48; Matt. 10:14, 33). We should love those around us enough to tell them about our amazing Savior. Everyone will appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). On Judgement Day we do not want anyone saying to us, “You never mentioned Him to me.”
A young person in the Bible who “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” (Dan. 1:6) was Daniel. As Christian college students, we should follow his example because he ordered his priorities. He was prepared to be holy, he strengthened his relationship with the Lord, and he was a beneficial influence on those around him. He did not let a new and difficult situation change the way he lived for God. Neither should we.
