Someone has told my generation a terrible lie. Actually, there were several lies told and a couple of misconceptions thrown in for good measure as well. In this post I will be going after our topic Matt Lantz style (if you don't know who he is, I'll be glad to tell you) by attacking and exposing each of these lies and misconceptions with cold, hard scripture.
Here's the lie: that you and I, along with every other college student, are preparing to live life. We are told by our society that we as a demographic are void of character, skeptical, uncontrollable, attention-starved animals who embrace moral relativism and temporal pleasures. They say we are the most self-centered generation in the history of mankind.
Time for a little truth. You and I wake up and breathe in oxygen, we go to the bathroom, eat breakfast and tackle the challenges of our days. Sounds a lot like life to me, my friends. So many people have bought into the lie that we can just relax and enjoy this time, that we are in no hurry. Real life will come soon enough, college is all about you...it's the "best time of your life" after all, right? (For the record, I certainly hope in 60 years I don't look back on a time when I still slept alone in my bed, sat in a classroom at 8am, ate way too much ramen noodle, worked dead-end jobs and tried desperately to find meaning in every day life as the "best time of my life.") If you really think that today, right here and now, even as you read this note, that God is waiting until later to give you His work to do...you need to wake up and smell the bacon.
In 1989, Robin Williams starred in a movie about a group of bright young men who were preparing to lead wildly successful lives. These boys joyfully embraced the future and didn't give much thought to the trifle events of their daily existence. Dead Poet's Society is one of my favorite movies of all time. In one of the climatic scenes, Robin William's character, Mr. Keating, delivers one of the most powerful monologues I've ever seen. Carpe Diem, he tells the boys. Seize the day. You see, the boys had lost sight of the fact that every second of every day has potential.
Our God doesn't waste anything. There is no such thing as coincidence or luck with the Almighty. Where you are right now, God has a plan for you. God has a purpose and a mission that you should be working towards right now. We, as college students, are presented with an amazing opportunity that very few people ever get. We get to take our faith right into the offices and classrooms of the keepers of the culture. The university is the guardian of knowledge, societal standards, political landscape, all the diverse fields of science and medicine, theology, philosophy, etc. You and I are soldiers in hostile territory, my friends. The vast majority of people on our campuses do not share our beliefs or opinions. When you walk around on campus, get involved in organizations, attend school programs and sporting events, sit down in your classrooms and labs, study with your classmates, etc...you are to be a light in this present darkness.
The Bible tells us to be a "workman who is not ashamed...rightly dividing the Word of Truth" - 2 Tim 2:15. We really do have some work to do. Ask any one of your professors what their general feel of a "Christian" student is. I can tell you what the average concensus is: Christians are perceived as notoriously defensive, "anti-intellectual, narrow-minded and willfully ignorant" (thanks Boundless.org). Across academia, if you profess Christianity you are immediately tagged as "unenlightened", a "radical fundamentalist" or even "bigoted, archaic, Bible-thumper". I'm not out to attack people that think that way about us, I'm out to give them a reason to think otherwise.
When I step into a classroom, I want that teacher to know who I am. I guarantee you that this coming semester I will be on a first name basis with all my professors by the end of the first week. I will sit in the front row, I will participate in thoughtful class discussion, offer alternative viewpoints, study my tail off and do my absolute best in my academic work. I will serve my classmates by leading study groups and helping them in any way I can. I will be in my professor's office asking informed questions and getting difficult answers. I will be known merely as a "Christian" to most, but I will leave a good taste in the mouth of those who cross my path in the land of academia.
I say all this not to boast in my own ideology, but to give you an example of what "carpe diem" looks like from the perspective of a Christian college student. We are called to a standard of excellence far and above the norm. No doubt, this philosophy will be noticed by some and will elicit the kind of conversation that begins with "Why?" That's when the real ministry has a chance to take place and we get to follow 1 Peter 3:15 as we share the "reason for the hope we have in our hearts." This standard of excellence must be maintained, if for no other reason than the fact that we bear the name of Jesus Christ. May I never be guilty of bringing shame to my Savior. May I never be guilty of bringing anything less than my absolute 100% best to lay at His feet.
My friends, you and I have been presented with a tremendous gift. We can bring glory to our Creator and perform ministry for His sake on a daily basis. We can bring cultural relevance back to Christianity. We can fix the misconceptions that have been spewed for such a long time. We can stop waiting for "real life" to get here, stop buying into the lies of Satan and secular culture that seeks to steal our focus and energies away from true significance.
"Wherever you are...there you are." God put you where you are and when you are for a reason. He has a purpose for each aspect of your life. For too long has Christianity lived in the church. It's time to take this battle to the front lines.
Points of Action:
1. Be mindful of each moment as an opportunity to live out your faith.
2. Cling to a "standard of excellence" as you enter into academia.
3. Be prepared with the answers when your conduct elicits the questions.
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