by David Yen
Looking back on my college years, it’s incredible how fast the time flew by. It seems like only yesterday when I stepped onto the UCSD campus. Growing up in church, my belief in God had always been strong. I grew up learning about His goodness, His grace, and His everlasting lovingkindness. Coming to college was not a good time for me though. I lost sight of these truths. I was much more concerned with the bitter taste that continually lingered in my mouth from my previous life, I was depressed and could not see how this good God let such a “faithful” servant suffer.
Bumming around from church to church, occasionally visiting various fellowships, this was the extent of my fellowship freshman year. I don’t even really know why I kept going; perhaps force of habit. This went on for a couple of months until, one day God rescued me, and I don’t know exactly how. It could have been through the love I was received from fellow believers; the teaching on justification in the fellowship I was attending; or maybe the conclusions I came to regarding Calvinism. All I really know is that I wasn’t taking my Christian faith seriously, but one day God just rescued me. My spirit was suddenly set free and my faith solidified as my life started to change. The only explanation I have comes from 2 Corinthians 4: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” It was a miracle. I don’t claim to know whether I was saved at that point. I can only tell of these events that have happened in my life and give God all of the credit. I know I did nothing. To share my college testimony, I need to begin with that. It really gives a framework to my faith in God. To take any credit myself would be a great injustice to God’s miraculous work in my life. Maybe it was necessary for me to go through the depression to arrive at the point where I am now.
Having said that, I think college is a very unique time for a Christian. For many, it is the first time they are on their own. The saying is true that what you invest your time in, shows what you really care about. College is a time where we have much freedom. If you want to get really good grades, you can invest all of your time into that and accomplish it. If you want to have a lot of fun, you can invest all your time in entertainment. These things are not bad things in it of themselves, but the most crucial thing I have learned in college that helped me the most in my faith is to invest in the right things. Invest in things that will last. Invest in people that further God’s kingdom. Invest your time in the Word so that your mind may be transformed. Time is valuable, and so often we use time in such a way that is not beneficial. I feel in college I have developed habits (good and bad ones) that will probably be with me for the rest of my life, for some things I honestly wish that I had put in more effort keeping myself in check.
Being at LBC has been a tremendous blessing; God has truly blessed our church with many wonderful people. The church family is a great place to hear solid biblical teaching and valuable advice. There are many older people who are much more mature and much godlier than I. These people are a great resource for guidance and growth. It’s just a good idea to use what has been given to us. I know I have been blessed through many people in the church. I hate to end so abruptly, but since this is nearing the end, I pray that this article will be both encouraging and helpful. College has been a wonderful opportunity for me. I hope it will be for all of the collegians we have at LBC as well!