Breaking the Stereotype

This is kind of a long post so get comfortable. It's currently 2:00 A.M. and I can't sleep. Go figure. Savannah (my roommate) and I had a conversation today that I can't quit thinking about. But before I tell you what that conversation was about here is a little background info. The roommate that I had last semester ended up transferring schools over Christmas.. so during break I knew I needed to find a new roommate.
I went through the whole random roommate thing once already, so going through it again had me stressed out to all different kind of levels. I prayed about it and I knew it would come together and guess what.. it did! Savannah was in my pledge class, so we already knew each other when she texted me asking if she could live with me next semester (she was tired of living in an older dorm on campus). And so here we are.

Sav and I stay having deep talks about God, life, and random other things. I was in the middle of reading my bible this morning, or should I say yesterday morning, when Savannah brought up how hard it is to stay completely true to your Faith while being in college. I looked at her for a second before closing my bible because this was something I had been dealing with for a long time. Being in college especially here at Mississippi State, you're exposed to things like drinking and sometimes even drugs, there just isn't any other way to say it. I mean everyone knows that in Starkville there isn't much to do so you have to work with what you got. But what does that mean for Christians?

Have you ever seen a snapchat of a person ,who you know is a Christian, drinking at a party & then the next day they're posting a bible verse? Have you ever judged someone for doing that? I have. People, including myself, still seem to have this idea that Christ followers are perfect..... (by the way all of Jesus's disciples turned on him by the time he was crucified) They seem to think that because us Christians pray and read our bibles we don't sin. People seem to think that just because we are spiritual we have no trials or hardships. Each and every person has different temptation that they are being faced with every day. So how can we be the change? How can we break the college kid stereotype? How can we stay true to our faith while being at a university/community college?

My first set of advice would be to not let the opinions of others effect you. Galatians 14:1 says this: "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." This means that you (yes you) should not be worried about what other people think. God knows your heart. He knows your deepest desires and your deepest regrets. He knows. That is all that matters.

My second set of advice would be to hang out with people who help you with your relationship with Christ. "Do not be deceived: bad company ruins good morals" 1 Corinthians 15:33. My mom used to always say, "You are who you hang out with." Let that sink in.

This isn't saying you can't ever have fun! Most of us know what we should and shouldn't do. That's up to you and your relationship with God. But, just know that if you are having some struggles with temptation, PRAY! 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 

My last set of advice would just be to continue showing others who Christ really is. Christ is faithful, He is kind, He is compassionate, He is merciful, He is forgiving, He is gentle, He is slow to anger, He is a listener, He is patient, and He is loving. Are YOU any of those things? Do you try to be like Him, truly? Do you forgive even when you don't want to? Do you love when you feel like someone is unlovable? Do you show someone compassion when they keep messing something up? What if God treated us the same way as we treat other people...How would our lives then look?

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:6