October 31: Remaining a Christian While at University

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 Remaining a Christian While at University

Scripture:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.— Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)

Anonymous. Bodden Town SDA

I attended a secular university as a young adult male, an experience that can shake one’s faith in God. As an introvert, one of the challenges that I anticipated was finding friends . . . This turned out not to be as challenging as I initially thought, as I shared a flat with two other young people. The bigger challenge was that they were not Christians. They drank alcohol liberally, had casual sexual relationships with multiple persons, and directly and indirectly encouraged me to fit in.

I will be honest. I made choices that my parents would not have expected while at University . . . But I thank God for keeping me. When I was leaving home for University, I asked God to provide Christian friends while I was abroad. I eventually made a bunch of them in a majority atheist institution, which helped a lot in maintaining my Christian support system abroad. This was invaluable, as having circles where you can express yourself and speak about religion without judgment is very necessary in progressing in your relationship with Christ.

One of the challenges that I had was finding a church that I liked. There were hardly any SDA churches close to the University, and I just did not gel with the ones that were close by. I ended up staying at home and worshipping online for most weeks. However, it really helped that I was able to worship with my family online and virtually attend church.

Dealing with exams on Sabbaths was an experience. I had this challenge several times during my University experience. What helped? I made a decision from before I left home that I was not going to take exams on Sabbaths. As soon as the exam schedule was posted, I checked the dates and once I saw that an exam was on a  Sabbath, I contacted the lecturer explaining that I was unable to participate in an exam on that day due to religious reasons. God worked it out, and accommodations were always made. On one occasion, however, the exam was on Friday evening, and Sabbath was set to start after about 1.5 hours. I decided that I would go to the examination and leave when the sun set, no matter where I finished in the exam. And so, I did. I was not sure how I would perform, but thank God, I was successful, although I left early.

Dealing with academic issues was also an experience! It was difficult for me to adapt to the online environment during COVID-19, and my grades were affected throughout this period. Additionally, I had some very unhelpful professors. I remember one who told me that my request that he explain a question was unreasonable, and if I couldn’t answer that question, I should leave the class. Situations like that led me to consider the possibility of dropping out of university. There were times when I was taking a course and struggled to understand the concepts that were being taught. I prayed to God for His assistance and was able to succeed when I didn’t see a way! I thank God for the support and prayers of family and friends. Despite all the challenges, I was able to successfully complete my degree.

If I had to give tips, both for persons going through similar experiences and those supporting them, these would be the most important things I could mention:

  1. If you are abroad, look for churches and Christian communities to connect with. Community is essential for support, especially when life gets tough, which it will.
  2. Try your best to keep in contact with those you leave behind. Those people can be excellent sources of advice and prayer when times get tough.
  3. If a church member has gone abroad, try to keep in contact with them, even if on a monthly basis. It is very easy to become isolated while in unfamiliar territory, and knowing that people back home are thinking about you is valuable in times like that.

Of course, there were times when money was tight. There were times when I received encouragement from a relative at a time when I needed it most, or got money that I had not requested or anticipated, when I needed it for groceries.

God has always been a significant aid in my life. It was the same in this situation as well. There were times that I was in a course that I didn’t understand and prayed to God for His assistance, and was able to succeed when I didn’t see a way. However, thanks to the support of family and friends and the many prayers I received, God gave me academic success, and I successfully completed my degree.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being present in every season of life, especially in times of testing and transition. Help our young people to remain steadfast in faith while navigating the pressures of university life. Surround them with godly friends, strengthen their resolve to honor You, and remind them that Your wisdom far surpasses human understanding. Grant them courage to stand firm for truth and grace to shine as lights wherever they go.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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