The 3 years I’ve been a student have been the most defining years of my life. They have challenged, enforced and changed what I believe and how I live it out. It was inevitable: moving away from the security of a Christian home, a solid church and a close circle of friends; to a new city, a new social group and the obligation to make my own decisions.
I found myself in a world full of possibility where my lectures told me “studying is the be all and end all”, friends took full advantage of a new found freedom that allowed them to push every boundary they knew and the bank had just topped up my account with what I could only assume was free money.
These are the initial experiences of student-hood. You make a lot of decisions, often subconsciously. You decide how to spend your time, who you hang out with and where you stand on issues you didn’t even realise were issues – you form an identity. A common attitude among students is – as long as we get our work done, have a bit of craic and get a job at the end of it then we are sorted.
As a Christian it can be just as tempting to fall into this mentality, after all we are students and society has given us a bit of ‘get out of jail free’ card when it comes to taking responsibility. It is important then that we’re constantly close to God allowing Him to shape who we become and not those around us. It’s important that we grab the opportunities God puts before us so we can experience more of His life changing will.
As students we have the opportunity to be salt and light in this world. Our friends see how we respond to everything that life throws at us. They see us when celebrating the end of exams and when we’re going through a break-up. They get to see how we can glorify God through the good times and the bad ones. They get to see how circumstances don’t affect how much we love God or how much He loves us. They also see how we love them; reflecting the love God has for them. For many of our non-Christian friends this may be as close as they will ever come to reading the Bible, entering a church or even thinking about God. This urges us to immerse ourselves in God’s Word knowing Him in our hearts His goodness and mercy will shine through us.
I would ask that you would pray for us, that we would have a desire to remain close to God. That we would consult Him in our every-day decisions and we would be constantly strive to make the most of the time that He has given us in the situations He has placed us in. Pray that we would be worthy ambassadors of Him and we would understand more what it means to live a life that brings Him glory. Please pray for Christian Unions and small groups who long to encourage students to earnestly seek their God, serve their communities and spread the gospel.
Thanks,
Andy
Student @ Queen’s University Belfast
