Gone To College But Not Forgotten

Last month, I happened to catch a very touching scene at the church building. Several of the area young people met in the parking lot to caravan, along their parents, to Harding University for the upcoming fall semester. It was a mix of emotion for everyone. Excitement at the new opportunity, fear about what would await them, apprehension at the young ones leaving the nest, relief that they had made it this far.

College is one of the most pivotal times in the faith of young people. Studies show us that that age is when most people’s faith is most greatly tested and that those trials can either make or break their faith. For many, it is the first time they must decide completely for themselves how their faith affects their lives. No one is there to get them awake for Sunday service, Mom and Dad won’t know everything they are doing so choices of morality must now be made on right and wrong more than will I get in trouble at home. Now, they face many major issues on their own.

That however does mean that they have to do it alone. When Paul wrote to Timothy, a young man probably at that age in his life, he said to him in 2^nd Timothy 1:3, “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day,”. Paul let this young man know his is still on his mind and reminds and encourages him about the faith that came from family and the good things he knows he can accomplish(1:5-6) . Like Paul, we can lift up those young people in prayer as well. Not only can we pray for them, we can let them know we are doing it as well. A letter from the church family to a college student can go a long way to encourage and uplift them. That small gesture can make a world of difference in making sure for our young people being away at college is a benefit for their faith.

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