The collegiate Christian: Maintaining a healthy spiritual life in college
Samantha Meyeres, Staff Writer
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2
College is a chaotic and ever-shifting stage of life. It’s a stage where a spiritual life and relationship with God can get placed on the back burner, even if they should be a top priority.
Steve Bielby, a counselor at North Greenville University, said that there are many reasons that college students should prioritize their spiritual life and time they spend with the Lord.
“It’s not just for college,” Bielby said, “it’s for a lifetime. And so many habits and routines and things we get into as adults are determined in college.”
Bielby also pointed out that maintaining a spiritual life and a closeness with God is about establishing priorities and setting time apart to spend with Him.
“It’s kind of like dating.” he said, “How you date is going to contribute a lot to how you’re going to relate to that person you’re married to. You’re setting patterns and developing a way of communicating.”
In any relationship, whether it is romantic or platonic, communication is key to allowing the connection to thrive. It is the same for a spiritual relationship.
“A good, healthy spiritual life and relationship with God is going to have a direct correlation to how students manage things like relationships, academics, expectations from themselves, from parents, from everybody,” Bielby said.
For example, if a conflict arises between friends, a person who has been spending time in the Bible will be better equipped to respond to the situation in a manner that shows grace, respect and the love of God.
As far as how students should go about strengthening and maintaining their spiritual life, Bielby said it all comes down to making a plan and sticking to it. Even just a few minutes of daily Bible reading and quiet time can positively impact students emotionally, mentally and relationally.
People that work at their relationships by growing closer to God individually naturally grow closer to each other on a level that is not possible without Him. Whether relationships are romantic, platonic or familial, they will benefit from the involvement of the Holy Spirit.
There is also an aspect to this form of intentional worship that has to be organic and natural. Bielby said this often takes the form of constant prayer. As people are going about work, classes and life in general, they are keeping up a consistent conversation with the Lord.
In everything, those who are working at strengthening their spiritual lives should be turning to the Lord for guidance and wisdom and acknowledgement of His greatness.
“We need to be living with an awareness of the presence of God,” Bielby said, “a moment by moment dependence on Him.”
Trevor Hoffman, a pastor at Ridgewood church in Greer, articulated a similar point.
“To be spiritual is to be human.” Hoffman said, “Worshiping and spending time with the Lord. What could be more important?”
Hoffman said that college students should not only make time for their spiritual life, but should consider it a top priority.
“Having a healthy spiritual life in college helps ground you in what can be a fluid, pressure-filled season of life,” he said.
College is full of new friendships, busy schedules, pressing assignments and future planning. Relying on the Lord throughout the stress that all of those things bring about allows for His peace to reign in a person’s life. Resting in God during this time helps to feel secure in decision making for the future as well as in day to day life.
Hoffman stated that in college, it is necessary to limit the number of things that students say yes to. While it is important to be involved in activities and with friends and peers during the college years, it can be very easy to get overwhelmed and overcommitted.
For example, if someone is a collegiate athlete, they will have less time to do homework than students that are not. In their case, it would most likely be best for that student to not join too many clubs and to prioritize where their attention is focused in their limited free time.
He also stressed the importance of students getting involved in the Christian community around them. Regularly attending a local church and being involved in a community group can help students feel connected and supported by those around them.
Hoffman talked about his experience as a college student getting involved in a local church. He shared how it was beneficial for him to be able to go to people in his small group who were more mature in their faith for guidance and advice.
As well as having someone to hold him accountable and give advice, being involved in church and a small group gave him opportunities to interact with people that were not just college-aged kids and learn from them.
“It gives you touches of the real world,” Hoffman said, “and I truly believe God works through the gathering of His saints on Sundays.”
Dallas Vandiver, assistant vice-president at North Greenville University, also touched on the importance of surrounding oneself with a Christian community in college.
“Being involved with other Christians who are sitting under the same preaching of the Word, who take the Lord’s supper with you, who sing with you on the Lord’s day, who are being held accountable by each other,” Vandiver said, “we need that.”
Human beings crave connection. Having a church family provides a healthy way to satisfy that innate desire.
Along with that, he said the primary reason for engaging in the maintenance of a healthy spiritual life in college is simply because that is the purpose of humans’ creation.
“College students should prioritize their spiritual life because God made them to know Him,” Vandiver said, “and when I think of spiritual life, I mean life of trusting in Jesus and actually getting to know Him better and experiencing His presence.”
Spending time daily reading the Bible and praying consistently are ways to get to know the Lord better and experience His presence.
Vandiver made the point that in all the ebb and flow of relationships in college, and the potential tension that can arise, Jesus is the anchoring and forever stable relationship that students can rely on.
For this reason, he stressed how important it is for students to spend quiet time with the Lord.
“Silence is a spiritual discipline,” Vandiver said, “and by silence I mean no distracting screens or sounds because we just get caught up and don’t actually have time to reflect on the things God has already shown us, or the events of our life and how to put those before the Lord.”
The amount of time that a person spends in scripture and in prayer also has a significant impact on their spiritual life. Spending time reading the Bible is how people hear from God, and spending time in prayer is how we respond and talk to the Lord.
Vandiver referenced 2 Corinthians 3:18 when talking about how Christians should approach reading the Bible as a way to grow closer to the Lord and desire to know who He is. The verse talks about how Christians, in spending time with God, are beholding the glory of the Lord and being transformed in His image.
“When you read the Bible, you see more of God’s glory.” Vandiver said, “I want to see God’s glory. I want to be amazed by His glory, so that people can see Christ in me.”
Delighting in the Lord gives purpose to life and transforms the habitual spiritual disciplines and practices into an intimate act of worship beneficial to everyone, but especially to college students navigating a tumultuous stage of life.
