Don’t Waste You College Life

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever [including your studies] you do,
do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, bracket mine)

Last night after finished sharing words with my student-friends about: “Don’t Waste Your Life”, a friend come and tell me that she don’t want to waste her college life. She asked as a Christian: ‘How not to waste my 3 precious-years of student’s life so that I can maximize this opportunity to glorify God?’ This is a good question. Yes, this is a crucial question a student could ever ask for. How?

Pic taken from: mycampuslife.co.uk

In the nutshell, I said to her: study to the glory of God with the mind of Christ. For the believers, Paul writes, “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). Far too many spiritually-minded students have an attitude that intellectual is the lowest form of spirituality. Thus, many in my observation tend to divide spirituality with intellectual studies. Why? Hmmm… because, I think, some view that the Christian life is often (wrongly!) translated as doing a lot of so-called-'spiritual' activities: reading the Bible, praying, attending Christian meetings & concerts, praise & worship sessions, etc. – while academic studies get the lowest level of ‘spirituality’ or worst, have no place at all in Christian life! It saddens me when I heard someone said, “Academic studies is not important, Christ first!” Wrong, so wrong…

We, Christians are told to love God with all our minds (Mark 12:30), and this includes thinking deeply and responsibly about His world. Kevin Offner in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/US website writes;

“When you take classes in the natural or physical sciences, you learn more about the kind of universe God has created. When you study the social sciences or humanities, you have the privilege of learning more about human beings. A Christian student has to work extra hard. Not only must you do all the mandatory reading and writing required of all your colleagues, but you must further reflect, with a Christian mind, about the various truth claims which are being made. How is what you’re learning compatible with a Christian world view? What bearing does your loyalty to Jesus play in the way you think about issues or moral dilemmas presented in class?”

When you study with the mind of Christ, you’re glorifying God. This is your opportunity to know God in unique way. You get to study the wonder of God in the Universe, the beauty of God in Mechanical & Science, the complexity of God in numbers & figures, the majesty of God in human anatomy… These things you can’t get anywhere else – only in your college! Remember that you are in college to learn, not to impress your professor or build up a résumé. Try to care a little less about grades. Trust God to take care of your future; your responsibility is to be faithful in using your mind to its fullest capacity. 

Don’t waste your college life! 

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.