a letter to our freshmen

Dear freshmen,

Now that the school year is underway, I'm sure you're enjoying your newfound freedom and independence as an official college student [for those of you who are going to school]!  Those really were the good ol' days, when you could schedule your classes to sleep in and wake up naturally and alarm-clock-less, when you could stop by the cafeteria and there would always be a nice hot meal waiting for you, and when you could go straight to class without shaving, brushing your teeth, or combing your hair and still be in your pajamas and it's not a big deal... yes, those were the good ol' days.  Carpe Diem dear freshmen.  Suck every ounce of life out of your college experience while it is still called today. 

Anyways, as you embark on this exciting and potentially life-changing season of your life, let me give you three small nuggets of advice –

   1.  Try new things

I'm a big proponent of risk-taking because I think many people don't take enough risks to try new things and gain new experiences.  Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Do one thing everyday that scares you."  I like this advice because I think that one of the ways we discover the gifts, passions, and talents that God has instilled in us is by actually putting ourselves out there in the arena of life and trying something instead of just sitting on the sidelines imagining what it would be like.

Now I'm not saying, "If you haven't dropped acid, you should totally try it!"  I think there's an element of reason in taking calculated risks and not just trying new things for the sake of trying new things.  See, it might not seem like it, but the choices you make now affect the rest of your life.  So if you have a vision for who you want to become and the kind of life you want to have 5, 10, 20 years from now, then take calculated risks to try new things towards that end.

Maybe you want to eventually be married.  It starts first by learning how to talk to a girl.  Maybe you want deeper friendships with others.  You might have to be one to initiate and say, "Hey, let's hang out sometime."  Maybe you want to see what it takes to be a speech therapist.  Get an internship, talk with students and professors who share your interest - just do something!  Right now is the best time to find your passion. You have the free time and resources at your disposal.  So go out, take risks, and try new things.

2.  Don’t Sweat the social circles

In high school it was all about hanging out with the “cool people”, but in college, you get a fresh start and a blank slate which means if your were Ms. homecoming queen or if you were Ms. Betty wallflower, none of this really matters at this point in the game.  The people that are concerned about stuff like that are insecure and they feel a need to validate themselves [or feel invalidated] through things like that. Have the confidence to validate yourself because of who God made you to be and people will love you for it.

The truth is, that at the end of college, those social circles will evaporate anyways and what remains are the lasting friendships you’ve made.  Don’t chase the appearance of coolness at the expense of real relationships.  Find some besties [I can't believe I just used that word] who are on a similar path in life [hopefully you love Jesus and they do too] and know that it will be a wise investment of your time, and energy, and ultimately, it will all pay off in the long run.  Trust me on this.

3.  Learn how to balance the priorities

It really is important in college to find balance and avoid extremes.  By being one dimensional, you cut yourself off from other things that should be priorities as well.

If you obsess over grades, you could spend all your time in the library but have no friendships and very little life experience that will help you to be successful in life.  Don't just be a book nerd and overly consumed with grades because there is more to what defines you than how well you can regurgitate information and appease your professors.  At the same time, don't just be a social butterfly and spend all your time hanging out with people because you think, "Well, that's what Jesus did."   Jesus did love people and spend time with people but He was always faithful to what the Father put before Him.  In the same way, one of your primary callings right now is to be a student so be faithful to that as well.

Don't forget also to set aside regular time for God as we have time in our schedule for all of these other things [i.e. - classes, meals, hangouts, Glee, etc.].  Make it a priority to find a spiritual community somewhere and get connected.  Join a small group, serve in some capacity, commit yourself to getting into the Word and growing in your relationship with God.  At the same time, don't consume yourself with all church, all the time, because if all you do is church stuff with with church people, you're missing out on a whole other side of the Christian life that God intends for you to experience. 

Okay, I think you get the point.  Just balance the priorities - you got it?

So that's it.  I hope you freshmen have a great first year of college!  If you're far away, hopefully we'll see over the holidays!  If you're local, come by and visit us whenever you have the time!  Hope you see you all soon!

Chris