Making the Most of your Opportunities in College
It’s the new semester. Some of you have started to find a groove, but some of you are on your way right now to return to campus. The new semester means new classes, new friends, new schools, new jobs, new routines, a new year, new challenges, new opportunities, new, new, new. The newness can seem overwhelming at times. Many times, new represents a decision, perhaps the most terrifying part of something new. Whether you like it or not, the decisions that you are making right now in January are going to impact where you end up in May, August, and even next January. Daunting? When you view new in the eyes of the World, then of course new is daunting.
But how does that change when we view new as we see it in the Bible? What comes to mind? The first thing that comes to mind for me is brand new life. We hear about brand new life in many places in the Bible, but this mention in 2 Corinthians 5:17 stands out the most. It says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Okay, so we see Christ take an old thing and make it new, that’s pretty huge, but what else? Throughout the Bible we see new everywhere. Paul gets new eyesight, disciples get a new mission or “job”, Israel gets plenty of new kings, Noah gets a new world, Jesus gives plenty of people new life or abilities, and the list goes on.
The takeaway here is that God gives us newness as a gift. It could be the gift of eternal life, or it could be the gift of new opportunities in the semester ahead. Either way, it is now our choice on what we do with it. In the examples above, some people, like Paul and the disciples, really made the most of the new they were given. Others, like some of the Kings of Israel, took their God-given new power and authority into dark and sinful places.
Where does that leave us, the college student? We have so many opportunities to take advantage of. We have our degree, our time, and our platform. It is our job to take the new of this semester and use it to advance God’s Kingdom. One of the big, new things that I have been able to give to God has been my summers. The adjustment to the summer is another new challenge (opportunity) for a college student. Over the past several summers, I have said yes to God and served him by working camp. Thankfully, Connect gave me that opportunity several years back. Over the summer, not only was I able to make some money after camp, but I was able to impact communities all across the southeast. The good news is that you too could have this opportunity, and I would love to talk to you about it!
Email me at [email protected] or text me at 706-540-7831 so that we can talk about how you can take full advantage of the new this summer with Connect Camps.