Over the years, I have heard many stories about people falling away from God during their time in college. There are so many distractions and temptations that appear during this time. Most of them were present in high school, but the freedom of being in college allows people to experiment more and take less precaution than ever before. I have witnessed many freshman fall away from God during this time, but I'm glad to say that my story isn't the same.
My freshman year of college was marked by everything you would expect such as difficult classes, new friends, and fun experiences, but the most important thing I experienced during this time was a closer walk with God. I began going to Bible studies both on and off campus in the first few weeks of school. While others were partying, I was growing closer to God. I don't say this to make myself sound better than others. Rather, I want it to be a reminder that college is different for everyone, and it can be time of growth according to what choices we make. This isn't confined to college either. The consequences we face in life, whether good or bad, are all shaped by our actions and decisions. Getting back on track, I've been thinking about my freshman year quite a bit recently. It was a time in which I went deeper in my faith and had the support of some really great friends. Now that I am back on campus and with these people again, I am inspired by the memories that I have from my freshman year. It's time to pick up where I left off with my friends as well as prepare myself for the ways God will work this school year.
One way that I am applying this in my life is by restarting the accountability group that I had with a couple friends last year. During the second semester of my freshman year, I felt God telling me to make this group with two of my close friends. None of us really knew what we were doing, but we soon learned that we can grow much stronger together than we can by ourselves. We now sit together for about an hour one day a week to encourage each other. We open up about our struggles, pray together, spend some time independently with God, and commit to keeping each other accountable. After we started this group, we become much closer as friends and gained the support we needed to grow as Christians. Because of the impact this accountability group had on each of us, we wasted no time getting right back into the routine this year. I'm excited to see how well it goes this year and where it will take us in our separate walks with God.
Looking back on my first year of college inspires me to go deeper in my faith. It encourages me to believe that my second year can be just as good, if not better, than the first. God is always near, and He is always working in our lives. Sometimes I just need a reminder of what He has done in the past in order to see the potential of the future.
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