Recently, I realized that nothing is how I thought it would be. I am in a very unique life stage. I am working my first full-time job, living with my parents, and discovering what "adulting" will look like for me.
College education and foundational lessons from my parents of course have helped prepare me to face the "real world." But, I still feel like there are things I wish I had known. So, this post is for the college student. Don't leave college only to realize you have regrets later.
1. I wish I had known that spending time with friends is a luxury.
I have been a college graduate for 4 months now. Some of my close friends are married. Some graduated early. Some just graduated this month, but now, we are almost all in separate places among a few different states. We came to the realization that the next time we are all together is probably at one of our weddings. College students...make friends, be good to your friends, and spend time with your friends. I do not remember much about the long study sessions or good grades I wanted so bad. But, I remember many movie nights, cups of Mexican hot chocolate, games of Splendor, and laughs in each other's arms. When you are working, it can be hard to meet people and even harder to maintain those relationships when everyone has busy schedules. Time with friends might be once a month, but in college, it can be so much more frequent. I'm not saying you won't have fights, but do everything in your power to reconcile with friends and help each other look more and more like the Lord. You will never regret a decision like that.
2. I wish I had known that ministry in college is something you might never get to do again.
Let me explain. Of course, you should always do ministry whether you are working or a college student. But, when I was in college, I was all in for the Lord in every ministry endeavor. I spend hours setting up events, sharing the Gospel, going to bible studies, teaching bible studies, and participating in discipleship. I never knew how much I would miss that experience. While I certainly aim to tell the Gospel to my coworkers, I don't get the opportunity to just go cook for individuals in the community and get to know new people on a random Monday night. I can't devote 10 + hours a week to church events and ministry efforts. However, in college, you have more time, flexibility, and freedom than you might ever have in your life. Out of all the things you might regret from college...I promise spending time serving those around you and serving your church will not be one of them.
3. I wish I had known that sharing the Gospel in college is easy.
Now, I'm not saying that people in college don't have real fears about sharing the Gospel. I'm just saying that as an adult (in my experience) there are more challenges to sharing the Gospel than I experienced in college. In college, I had the blessing of sharing the Gospel a few times at a school close to MC called Hinds. That experience stretched me in awesome ways that helped me to love evangelism and sharing Christ with those around me. However, I'm coming to realize that, in college, sharing the Gospel has a low risk. If you share the Gospel with someone who rejects it, you might lose a friend or make an enemy...sure. But, I now work in a context where if I stand up for what I believe I could possibly lose my job. I can't openly share about Jesus over a pot of coffee in the workplace kitchen. I have to be careful in what environments I talk about the Lord and how I do it. That doesn't exempt me from sharing the Gospel of course. I know there are people all over the world who are persecuted for their faith and boldly share the Gospel from jail cells! Share the Gospel as much as you can in college. Just think - How will you be able to share the Gospel when you might lose your job when you can't even do it now in college just because of fill-in-the-blank.
College student - live a college experience with no regrets. Make friends. Live holy. Serve well. Share the Gospel. Don't wait until you're older to leverage your life for the Lord. Start now. There's no time to waste.
Love,
Kaitlyn
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