It is a privilege to be a college student.
As an upperclassman at Pepperdine University this year serving as a Freshman Orientation Leader, my go-to line to new students is always, “You might think Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, but it’s actually the second happiest…”
“What’s the first??” the new students will ask.
Joyfully, I’ll exclaim, “Pepperdine, of course!”
This conversation exchange is usually met by chuckles from nervous first-year students or an eye roll from a junior transfer student who just wants to get orientation over with. I’ve had this conversation so many times that it’s become more or less of a running joke at this point. However, the sentiment of this joke is really the attitude of my heart towards Pepperdine and my time here as a college student.
Pepperdine is Heaven on Earth for me.
It’s magical, beautiful, transforming, awe-inspiring – it’s holy ground. I don’t say that lightly. This campus is holy ground because God has and continues to meet people here and radically change their lives. And I know it’s not just my college, but many, many others.
College is a life-changing place if you allow it to be. Here in college, you can deep dive into your passions, curiosities, and problems of the world as you look for solutions to make the world a better place. Here in college, you have the opportunity to meet friends who will become your future bridesmaids at your wedding and the future aunts and uncles of your children. Here in college, if you so choose, you can enter into or continue a relationship with Jesus Christ that will carry you through the incredible, difficult, and unexpected joys and challenges of college life.
Some say I’m a forever optimist. That I look through rose-colored glasses. Or that college is the farthest thing from Heaven on earth. On the contrary, I believe that a relationship with Jesus changes everything – if God is present in you, He’s present on your college campus, and a college campus with God present automatically becomes holy ground.
Going into this next year, I’ve been feeling all the emotions. I spent the past year studying abroad in Germany, and so this will be my first time seeing some of my college friends since my first year. I’ve felt the jitters of excitement coursing through my veins at the thought of running into their arms and exchanging our stories. I’ve felt the adrenaline rush at the idea of going to the beach again here in Malibu, having monthly boba runs with my girlfriends, having coffee with my favorite professors, and jumping up and down at our all-school worship nights. I’ve felt the stirring in my spirit, knowing that I am about to re-enter a place where Jesus dwells so powerfully, a place prayed over by current and past generations, and a place where Jesus changes lives just like He changed mine.
At the same time, I feel the nervous anticipation of returning. Am I committed to too much this year? How am I going to juggle a full load of classes, club positions, and my part-time work? Will I be received warmly after coming back from abroad? Will friend groups be different, and how will they be different? Is Jesus still abundantly present here? What has changed over this past year and what is in store?
However, besides the excitement and nervousness, I’ve also been feeling a bit bittersweet. I’m only a junior, so I still have two full years left, but I find myself grieving the loss of such special times I’ve experienced that I won’t get to experience again. Especially as I’ve been training this week to be an Orientation Leader, I remember what it was like to be a bright-eyed freshman arriving on campus for the first time. With one hand gripping my mom and the other reaching out to what was to come, I could never have anticipated the journey God would take me on through college.
Late nights studying with friends in the library, going on spontaneous day trips, and getting to see the most special community I’ve ever had every single day on campus. College is a privilege, and that privilege is precious.
While incredibly bright, the future after graduation for all of us is also terrifying and overwhelming. I know I’ll be there in the blink of an eye, but I can’t imagine life without all the people I’ve met at Pepperdine, the random buildings on campus that have become my second homes, and the living patterns I’ve adopted and grown accustomed to during my time here.
Yet, if I’ve learned anything from my past two years at college, it’s that the best is yet to be.
The fun part of having a relationship with God is that you never know what God has in store next. And while what comes next will come with its ups and downs, I cling to the promise that God is a giver of good gifts and that He works for the good of those who love Him. In Zephaniah 3:17, it says, “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will renew you in His love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.”
This is a verse that is a theme for our Orientation training this year, and the last part of the verse struck me profoundly when I first heard it.
“as on a day of festival.”
Life with God is like life as on a day of festival. There is victory, rejoicing, gladness, renewing, and loud singing if you so choose!!!
My word going into this year is “festival”.
I want to experience Jesus in a way that makes me excited to get up every morning. I want to experience the joy and fullness of life that comes from knowing Jesus. And I want to spread the love, joy, light, and FUN of Jesus to everyone else on my college campus. I hope you will do the same.
And for the college students reading this right now who have more feelings of dread or disappointment going in because of bad past experiences, I see you and want to tell you:
Love God with all your heart this year and cling to the promise that God is a good God. It may be hard to see it, but believe in the hope and future God has in store for your life. The best is truly yet to be.
This post is part of a short series with reflections from people in different seasons of life as they approach this “going back to school” time of year.
Photo Credit: Tim Alex