Being Christian in college isn’t always easy. Learn the best habits to grow in faith
This post is all about being Christian in college.
Let’s be honest: being Christian in college isn’t easy. And it’s not supposed to be. In fact, Jesus promises us of this in the Bible.
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
Matthew 10:16 ESV
This means that as Christian college students, we ought to be extremely intentional in practicing spiritual disciplines that will lead us into fruitfulness.
Chances are, the suggestions I’m about to make aren’t entirely new to you. But they are reminders that you probably need more than you know. I wish I’d listened to these reminders more as a freshman. Even now, I can’t say I have perfect spiritual habits. But I am much more diligent now than I was when I first started college. Because I have no other choice. If I want to thrive as a sheep among wolves and show the glory of God to those around me, I must be intentional about cultivating strong spiritual disciplines that will lead me deeper into relationship with God.
This post is all about being Christian in college.
1. Keep a 7th day of rest
If you’re doubtful that this is possible in college, read my post on keeping the Sabbath holy here. I promise you, it is not only possible, but it is also the best decision you could possibly make for your mental, spiritual and physical health.
Keep one day per week as a day of rest. But do it intentionally. Don’t just spend all day watching Netflix or hanging out with friends. Spend significant time in prayer. Spend significant time in worship. Meditate on God’s word. Go to church or a social gathering with Christians who can encourage you. Pray with a friend or mentor. Commit to doing NO work. Not homework, schoolwork, or otherwise. Don’t even think about work. Don’t even stress about work.
I know it can feel counterproductive. It feels like if you don’t work, you won’t get your assignments done in time. But trust that God will hold your world together if you take a break. We need to learn to live lives of peace and rest. And in a world of hustle culture that tells you you’re only successful if you’re working all the time, we need to be extra intentional about taking time off. So, manage your time well 6 days per week so that you can take a Sabbath day (or even Sabbath afternoon, if you can’t manage a whole day).
2. Read the Bible consistently
BEFORE YOU SCROLL PAST THIS TIP, READ THIS!
I know that telling you to read your Bible consistently doesn’t sound like anything new. But this tip isn’t so much to give you new information as it is to encourage you to remember what you already know.
It can be discouraging trying to read the Bible every day and then failing to do so because you’re busy. Don’t beat yourself up about this. Read the Bible as consistently as you can. Don’t get discouraged if you miss your Bible time here and there. Consistency is key.
As a rule of thumb, I strive to read (and thoroughly meditate on) my Bible a minimum of 4 times per week (even though every day is the goal). Some days I might just read one verse before bed if that’s all I can manage. But at least 4 times per week, I make it my goal to thoroughly meditate on, pray through, and study scripture. This keeps me consistent in my reading, but also allows me to give myself grace here and there if I can only manage to read a couple verses.
3. Find convenient times to squeeze in prayer
I am not in any way advocating that we should only pray when it’s convenient. I’m not advocating for only saying short, on-the-go prayers. But I know that when you have a busy schedule, trying to fit in hour-long prayers every day before class sometimes just doesn’t happen (and then it makes you feel like a failure).
Definitely, please, spend lengthy times in prayer when you can. We need this! But in my first semester of freshman year, I felt like I just wasn’t getting enough prayer in. I was a lot more anxious all the time and I didn’t want to compromise my faith in any way. So, in second semester, I made it my goal to pray for at least 10 minutes before leaving for class every day. That didn’t mean that I only prayed for 10 minutes per day. It didn’t mean that I never spent any additional time in prayer. It just meant that at the very least, I had to fit in those 10 minutes to get my mind in the right place before going to class.
4. Join the Christian group on campus
This is especially important if you don’t go to a Christian college. The world’s culture is hard to live in as a Christian. That’s just the truth. The Bible warns us of this many times. Your campus Christian group might only be a handful of people, like mine. Or maybe you’ve got a pretty big Christian campus group. Whatever the case is, get involved.
Sadly, in my first year of college, my tiny campus Christian group only met when I was in class. This meant that I wasn’t involved as much as I wanted to be. But I still got to know the members quite well and I participated in as many events as possible when my class schedule didn’t conflict. Remember that community is key. Scheduling conflicts are bound to happen, but be involved as much as you can to ensure that you have a Christian community/support group on campus.
5. Find an off-campus church family
This one is especially important if you’ve moved to a new city for college. You need to find an off-campus church family. The reason for this is because, while hanging out with people our own age is great, it’s incredibly important to be a part of a bigger church family with people both older and younger than you. We must have people in our church community who can mentor us. Likewise, we should become mentors to younger children and teens within our church community as well.
It’s not enough for those who are in the same walk of life as us to be the only people pouring into us. It’s important to surround ourselves with people from different walks of life who will be there for the long-run. We also need people who have a better grasp on scriptural truth and theology than we do. So don’t just settle for a student group on campus. Having Christian friends your own age is great, but you need a church-family.
It might take you a while to settle into a good one, but that’s okay. It can be really hard to get plugged into a new church and really feel like part of the community there. I speak from experience. It’s okay. Just pray and ask God where he wants you to join, follow His guidance, and don’t be afraid to check out multiple churches until you find one you feel good about.
