a new perspective.

“College: a four year window in a person’s life when God has maximum opportunity to build a foundation into a life lived for Him.”

A few weeks back, I began reading Fuel and the Flame by Steve Shadrach. In the beginning of the book, the author stresses how vital college can be.

In order for this to make sense, you're going to need a little background information. In so many words, school is NOT my thing. All throughout high school I was convinced that I wasn't in need of a college degree, but to my disadvantage (at the time), my daddy had a very different opinion. 

After I went to Uganda in 2010, the Lord completely changed my heart towards education. I realized that it shouldn't just be "something I had to do." Rather it should be something that I desired to do, in order to further my knowledge, therefore furthering the kingdom of God.

Needless to say, I'm a full time student at Augusta State. It is definitely still a struggle for me to look past the fact that I have to study and do homework, because school is not something that I'm passionate about whatsoever. But this is where the Lord has me, and slowly but surely I'm realizing that He has more in store for me during these next three (or five) years of school.

That being said, Fuel and the Flame has definitely begun to hit home. Throughout the entire first chapter, the author explains how much a young adult grows during this time. It's when you really begin to figure out exactly who you are in Christ.

“The most recruitable, trainable, and sendable category of persons on planet earth is the American college student. They are, and will be, the leaders of every facet of society. If we can win students today, we can win the world tomorrow. Although they make up only 1% of the world's 6.6 billion people, they are easily the most "powerful percent" on earth; the most influential slice of humanity in existence.” -Steve Shadrach

Now for a slight change of subject:

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a few different parables. The one that I want to focus on is the parable about the sower. Jesus mentions four different scenarios. Some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Some fell on the rocky places, and immediately they sprang up but when the sun came, they were scorched because they didn’t have roots. Some fell on thorns and were choked. But others fell on the good soil and actually yielded crop.

I cannot count the number of times I've heard the parables mentioned in this chapter. I always knew that I didn't want to be planted on the road, the rocks, or in the pokey vines. But until this moment, I've never truly gotten it. 

I absolutely love how this is broken down in verses 19-23 of this chapter:

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom the seed was sown beside the road.

"The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 

"And the one on whom the seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 

"And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings it forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."

I’m coming to the realization that college isn’t just about barely scraping by and getting a degree. It’s about building an incredibly firm foundation, deepening a lasting relationship with the Lord, and figuring out what exactly it is that He wants for my life. 

"We're not saying the college campus is special in and of itself, just that our hearts are there. Our roots are there. Our calling is there. And our desire, like you, is to see God's name magnified in this collegiate generation." -Louie Giglio