Memories #5

Top Ten College Memories: Memory #1
I realize that I’m going out of order for a typical countdown. However, this particular memory celebrates its anniversary today, so I thought it appropriate to post now.

November 2, 1999

“I can’t do this on my own any more,” I prayed silently. “I’m either doing it with You or not at all.”

Those words, uttered in the public bathroom of my freshman dorm, have colored the four years that have elapsed since. I didn’t realize how significant they were at the time, but it was on this day four years ago that I began to walk with Jesus.

My story isn’t a drastic one. So many people who become Christians during college are turning from a rebellious lifestyle. Technically, I did the same, but my rebellion was much quieter.

I was the quintessential “goody-two-shoes” – rarely in trouble, good grades, active in school. I talked back to my parents and I thought I knew far more than I did, but otherwise I was much less mischevious than the typical teenager.

As my high school graduation approached, I began to question my behavior. Why did I do the things that I did – or not do them, as the case may be? In the past, my answer was usually, “Because God said not to.” I proclaimed a belief in Christ, but I didn’t understand what difference He made. Though I called myself a Christian, I lived for my own purposes.

That tendency was amplified as I graduated from high school and entered college. I searched for meaning in my friends, in boys, in a sorority, but couldn’t find it anywhere. I watched the people around me and saw that most of them were as lost as I was.

The difference was in the friends who were following Christ. Through their lives, I saw that Jesus was more than a ticket to heaven. He impacted how they lived each day on earth, as well. I wanted that – and so that is what I asked for that November afternoon in Dorman Hall.

In compiling a list of my top college memories, it was inevitable that this one had to be listed first. It wasn’t a dramatic day for me – I went about my business as usual, and no one knew the difference. Still, it marked a turning point that has influenced every following day. At the time, I wasn’t sure that I would still be following Jesus after six months. I’m still young, but it’s already been quite a bit longer than that.

My life is markedly different now than it was during the first few months following that decision. Then I was zealous, eager to learn all that I could. What those first months contained in breadth, the years since have made up for in depth. Now, each day is a steady step onward. Sometimes I long for the days of my youth – spiritual milk is easier to digest than the meat on which I now dine.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

* Checkbox GDPR is required

*

I agree

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.