First Semester Away

I have successfully completed my first semester away at college.  Woot.

I survived!  Three semesters to go.  I can't believe I've already put so much of it behind me.  It's crazy to think that I graduated three years ago.  My life has changed so much since then.  I've changed, and so have the people around me.  But Jesus has stayed the same.

People ask me how my first semester was.  It was hard.  I left my home for the first time in my life (literally the same house) for a place and culture that were totally new to me. The South is a different world entirely.  The terminal for Jackson is in the international section of the Charlotte Airport.  Point proven.

Someone asked me today what the hardest thing about my semester was.  I couldn't really put my finger on it until I was talking it over with a friend's Mom.  For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people who were overly concerned with what other people thought of them.

I couldn't condemn them.  I had struggled with the same thing when I was younger, but I had quickly outgrown it.  The difference was that these people lived in the captivity of it.  The fear and concern were holding them captive, and they didn't know how to get free. 

It affects everything.  God had me holding a bucket throughout the semester to catch my friends' tears and heartaches.  At the center of a lot of them was the concern of other people's opinions. 

Colorado is unique in that it houses a melting pot of people from all over the United States and the world.  This makes for an electic mix of people, most of whom are very independent and okay with being a misfit.  Most people really don't care about what other people think of them.  You can't if you want to survive.

Growing up as a homeschooler, even in a state where homeschooling is common, I got used to being a misfit very quickly.  And it wasn't long before I didn't care what people thought of me.  I knew the truth: that I had a loving mother and father who wanted the best for me, and wanted to raise me not only with knowledge of the world, but also wisdom of the heart that can only come from God.  I may be an introvert, but I am far from unsocial. 

Now the challenge is how to help free the people I know from this terrible bondage.  I know Jesus is really the only one who can set the captives free, but I believe he has called me to be his agent this time. 

Soli Deo Gloria