Before I start, I want to take a moment to say welcome to campus for those who are new, and welcome back to our returning students! I hope all of your summers were great and full of memories.
As we dive into the second week of classes I want to take some time to encourage some of you. This may be your first time away from home, your friends, your family, your church and many others. It can be an extremely stressful time of life; however, it can also be an amazing opportunity for God to grow you.
In our robust and diverse campus, you will have the chance to encounter many new and different cultures – especially if you are from a rural area like I am. It can be hard sometimes to find your place on campus with all of these new ideas and beliefs, and I highly encourage you to learn from these different people. However, it is extremely important to still find your community of believers as well.
Community is a very important part of our faith. There are many passages in the Bible that speaks to this subject. Each one is important in its own manner, however, Matthew 18:20 is one of the two I am going to focus on.
The importance of having a community is not just for the social aspect. Matthew 18:20 states, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Think about that, when there are multiple believers in a space the Holy Spirit will be there too!
I had an encounter with this this summer. One of my best friends and I were FaceTiming, and God showed up in two different rooms that were over 800 miles apart and poured out His love to both of us. It was an amazing experience and shows that when two or more gather in His name, amazing things happen.
The second passage of verses I want to focus on is Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than
Having a community is important just in the aspect of having a group of likeminded people being there to support you. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 has always been one of my favorite passages, because it is very true. Going through this life alone is very hard and in this stage of our lives it can be even harder.
College is hard, simple as that. I have had many struggles in my college career and have had to go through them by myself or with a community of believers. I will say it has been easier to go through the rough patches of life with believers than by myself; however, there is still purpose for the seasons of being alone and I will touch on that in a later article.
These are few of the reasons why it is so important for us, as believers, to find a community to belong to, especially during this season of life. College is an interesting time and can be an amazing chance for you to grow in your faith and your walk with Christ. Having a community is very important in helping you keep your faith. We aren’t meant to go through this journey alone.
So, I encourage you to step out and find your community here on campus! There are many clubs for believers on campus and even more organizations off campus. Try them out and trust that God will lead you to a community that will become your family here.
Editor’s note: The expression of faith is a constitutionally protected right, as is freedom of speech and freedom of the press. This press publication has allowed the constitutional rights to be expressed in the opinions section. The Criterion is not declaring itself a Christian publication; it is merely allowing a Christian to voice a message of positivity to other Christians on campus.
The appearance of this column does not exclude other religions. Inclusion of one individual or group does not constitute exclusion of another. If any other faiths would like to similarly express themselves, The Criterion welcomes them to do so. Our publication is, and has always been, the voice of the students.
