We all come to school with the idea that we will become an even better version of ourselves, that we will grow and learn more about who we are. And of course, never make the wrong decisions or go down the wrong path.
At an Acquire the Fire concert in 10th grade, I encountered Romans 1:16. Lecrae’s song “Unashamed” had a good beat and I enjoyed the song, but I didn’t fully understand it until I encountered how hard it is to hold onto your faith in college.
Romans 1:16 states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
The word unashamed is defined as “expressed or acting openly and without guilt or embarrassment.” When coming to college, free expression was obviously encouraged. Spray paint and chalk covered different areas of campus, people from many different belief systems and cultures were extremely open about who they were, and many things that aren’t acceptable in the Christian church were completely normal.
But one thing that isn’t easy to express at college is your faith. Most people go out on Saturday night and are too tired to get up in the morning for church. Christians are labeled as judgmental bigots, hypocrites, and condescending do-gooders. Instead of being seen as people who make mistakes, Christians are viewed with a one-sided understanding of the Gospel, or in other words, seeing the wrath of God and the function of the law, but not seeing the grace of God in Christ Jesus.
Because of this, I struggled reintegrating my faith into my college community. Many of my friends don’t practice Christianity in their every day lives, let alone take the time to practice their faith once a week on Sunday mornings. But I found that the less time I took for God, the less I felt Him in my life.
I don’t think there’s an exact formula for spending time with the Lord, but it isn’t something I should be ashamed of or fit into my schedule whenever I have time. Time with the Lord should be precious, intimate, and necessary, but I found myself caring more about what the people around me thought and wanted than what God wants for me.
Getting to know God has been a long process, one that you’ll hear more about as you follow my blog. But as I found this beautiful Father, I wanted more and more of Him and I didn’t care what others thought. I seek after God in everything I do now, and yes, I slip up and find myself in dark places. But it’s comforting knowing that there’s a God who loves me beyond any of my mess, a God that picks me up and dusts me off when I need it. I want to spend time with this God, and I’m not afraid to let that show because it’s something I’m incredibly proud of.
Though the world we live in now boasts of acceptance and love, I boast in my relationship with a God who will accept and love me more than anyone ever could. He knows my heart, my innermost thoughts, and the many tears I’ve cried over time. So I am unashamed, and I’m not afraid to tell anyone who will listen.
