Keeping Your Faith In College
Hello!
Going off to college can be scary. You are doing a lot of things by yourself or with new people. You are learning in classes, maybe getting a job, and have extracurricular activities. On top of it all, you are trying to make new friends and figure out where you belong. Don’t get me wrong, college was the best time of my life. I would never change it. To give you some backstory of my time at college, I went to a small Christian college. When I decided to apply, I wanted to go to a smaller college that way I could get more one on one with the professors. I knew that I wouldn’t survive going to a bigger college where you have 100 plus students in one class. My class at college was probably max 25 students per class. A big difference!
As we grew up, you move up each grade with the same kids. You get to know them over the years. You find out who your group of friends are, the bullies, the popular group, etc. When you go off to college, its like starting all over again but on a much larger scale. When you graduate from high school, you finally found yourself. You know what you like and don’t like. You know the type of people you get along with. You have a bigger grasp of who you are. For me, my Christian faith was a huge part of my life. I didn’t know a whole lot about college but I knew that I wanted to keep building my faith while learning more about myself apart from my family. I want to share with you what I learned to help keep my faith strong while I went to college. Of course, you are going to try new things and even be stepping out of your comfort zone but you can do these 5 things to make sure your faith doesn’t get away from you.
Surround yourself with godly friends.
I went to Sterling College with knowing no one. I didn’t have my life long friends or even a familiar face to enter into this new chapter. I did go to a Christian college but I learned quickly that just because I went to a Christian college does not mean that everyone believed. I am very thankful that my college had fun activities for freshman the first week of school. That way I was forced to meet new people. I also was a part of the cheer team, so I also had another way to make friends. Throughout getting to know my teammates and the freshman class, I found a good group of friends. Out of those group of friends, I found a few that wanted to keep building their Christian faith. Then that ultimately led to knowing more like-minded people.
Find at least one person who is actively building their faith and get to know them. Go get coffee, take a walk, see how cute their dorm is. Purposely try to meet up weekly until you find a routine. I have found that starting with one or a few will always lead to more godly friendships. God tell us to be equally yoked with relationships (2 Corinthians 6:14). It’s okay to build relationship other people but you want to surround yourself more with like-minded people. I know first hand, that you become like the people that you surround yourself with the most. Again, it’s okay to have non-believers as friends but just be mindful and do a heart check often. Most colleges, should have a faith-based group or committee, contact your student life and they would be able to know.
Find a church (it’s okay to shop around).
Go find a church that you can attend while you are at college. Grab a friend or even yourself and take the step and go visit. Most college towns know that there are college students looking and they love to welcome you. A simple google search will tell you the surrounding churches in the area. Look at their websites and do some investigating throughout the website. Churches should have a section on their website that tells you what they believe in. I also look at what they offer at the church, like little kid church, young adult, college age, small group, etc. This tells you how involved the church is. Then look at the hours of the church service. I always did this Friday or Saturday before so I can know ahead of time and plan accordingly so I wasn’t stressed or too anxious on Sunday morning.
It’s okay to go to different churches. You want to be able to find the church that fits you. That way you want to go even on the days that you are not feeling it. My college church had a satellite church in the college town but the home church was 30 mins away at the next bigger town. They also had a Saturday night service at the home church. I ended up going to church on Saturdays then Sundays because the home church felt like home more than the satellite church did. I want to encourage you to go by yourself too. It was awkward at first but I ended up doing a self-care trip for myself. The town the home church was in, had a Walmart/shopping and a lot more food options. So, I took myself on a date to my favorite place to eat and then went to church. I did have friends who went with me, but on the weekends they would go home and I stayed on campus. Finding a home church during the time at college makes a huge difference. I was able to build my relationship with the Lord and build the discipline that I needed to get through college.
Find a Bible study group (or create one).
Going to a Christian college, I was able to find already created Bible study groups. Your student life center should have a list of these or put you in touch with the correct person to ask. These Bible study groups were the perfect relationship bonding that I needed. It was like-minded people who I could get to know without necessarily being my best friend. I was able to have familiar faces across campus and to have people to relate to. Bible study doesn’t have to be a time where you are deep diving into the Word. It can be a time of fellowship or worship. One time, it was a group of us girls who was able to meet in a conference room and listen to Christian music while we did homework, journaled, colored, or whatever they felt like doing. I had a group that we got actual Bible study books and worked on each chapter a week. I had a group where we took apart one of the Books of the Bible. There are so many variations that you can do with Bible Study. It’s just a time where you meet with a group and be intentional with being with God.
If you can’t find one, then create one. Get another person or a group and start small. Get with your local pastor, or a Christian leader and have them help you. It can be as relaxed as you want it. Again, its just a time where you are being intentional with others to build your relationship with the Lord.
Your Christian core beliefs.
Some of us grew up in a Christian home, going to church weekly. We grew up knowing Christian core beliefs that our family has. I did not feel like I had a strong Christian faith until I pulled apart what my core beliefs were and why. We can say that we believe in our Lord and Savior but why do we? What evidence can back that up? I would encourage you to write down what your Christian core beliefs are. Keep that in your Bible, notebook, or even post them in your room. That way, when you start to question or feel rocky, you can reference back to them. It’s okay to feel differently than your parents/family. That means you are finding your individualism in your faith. As long as you are in the Word and constantly in communication with the Lord. We all go through rocky times with our faith and even as far as questioning. I think that is a very healthy thing to do. There is so much noise in the world and when you get on your own where your normal Christian routine is interrupted, you are going to feel that way. What matters is how you handle and do to help with the rockiness. I encourage you to take time and truly figure out what you believe in and why.
Create time daily/weekly to spend time with the Lord.
As a kid, my parents put me in activities that were Christ centered. As I grew up, I continued with Christ centered activities because that is what I wanted but also the only thing I knew. Now that you are on your own in college, you get to choose what you do with your time. You get to choose what you do on your own time. Do I go to class (which you should)? Do I take a nap? Do I stay in and binge watch this show? Do I attend this party? So many more choices you get to make. One of those choices is to spend time with the Lord. You need to create a time each week or even daily to spend time with the Lord. Maybe, instead of napping on this specific day of the week, you spend time in the Bible. Maybe it's going to the local coffee shop and getting a good cup of coffee and spending time with the Lord. Maybe it’s going to the park. Where ever you choose, I encourage you to create that time. Be consistent as you can be. By creating this time, that’s outside of church and Bible study, you get to grow the relationship with the Lord even deeper. I found out more about myself when I was spending intentional time with the Lord alone. Sometimes, I went for a drive and listened to the Bible app. I went to the park and listened to music while I had a conversation with the Lord. Play around with it. It’s totally okay to have fun and let loose while you are spending time with Him. That is how I found out more about myself.
College can be stressful and intense but you have to make your faith a priority. I put so much pressure on myself when I first went to college and it was hard. When I added more intentional time with the Lord, college seemed easier and had a lot more fun. I would love to share all my stories and memories at college. Feel free to reach out with any prayer, comments, or questions! Here is a few reminders as a Christian:
It’s okay to stand out.
It’s okay to go or not go to parties.
It’s okay to go by yourself to events.
It’s okay to not be perfect.
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, take it to God.
It’s okay to have fun and let loose.
Created for a purpose.
