Christ Was Never Meant to Be Part of Your Life

It has been so good to see our college students rolling back into town and getting back into connecting with the church. Can’t wait to reconnect in the days to come!

As a college student, you will begin to understand the necessity of the Waffle House in your life. When you have procrastinated studying so long that you must find refuge in a place open at three o’clock in the morning, you normally end up at the Waffle House. For whatever reason, the smell of scrambled eggs with a side of unusual odors helps the mind focus for a long night of studying.

In my time at college, I would normally order the newest breakfast special when I ate there. No matter what was on the plate, I normally would stir it into a makeshift pile of breakfast casserole. For some reason, it always seemed better to me when I combined it that way.

Some of you are grossed out at the idea. I understand you completely. You are a food isolationist. You can’t stand the thought of eating a meal where the food is touching. If the green bean juice creeps over to the macaroni and cheese, you might as well call it a night. Even when people show you anatomy diagrams of how the food all ends up in the same place, you can’t stand the thought of eating that way.

I can empathize with you. I am a recovering food isolationist, but over time, I came to endure when my food touched. In some cases, I even liked it. I didn’t even require one of those doggie boxes that had the separate compartments.

Many college students treat their spiritual life like a compartmentalized doggie box.

You have your relationships in this big section. In the side section, you have your college major. Your leisure time is in another compartment. You finish off your box with a side of Jesus, and life as you know it is great.

It’s great as long as everything stays in its proper place. You probably are aware of Jesus’ reputation that he likes to try to move into other sections, but you are making your best attempts at keeping him at bay. You love Jesus. When you need Jesus, you call on him. In reality, he is a part of your life, and you don’t intend him to be anymore than that.

There’s just one problem: Christ was never meant to be a part of your life. He is your life (Col. 3:4).

He desires to take every compartment of your life and mix it together into one gigantic casserole where he has reign over every area. If you truly desire him to be your one thing in college, you give him complete freedom to do as he wishes in your life. Your time, relationships, school work, activities, date life, religious activities, and everything else you can think of comes under his influence.

As social networking sites have transitioned from a fun outlet into the current cultural phenomenon of community, I have learned more and more about collegiate Christianity. In college students’ profiles, I am overwhelmed with the conflicting messages. So many college students post how important Christ is in their lives. Statements like “Jesus is everything” or “I’m nothing without God” or “faith is the most important thing in my life” are seen so much they almost lose their meaning. They truly lose their meaning when other areas of a student’s profile celebrates promiscuous sex, irresponsible nightlife activities, or blatant rejections of God’s standards. Students desiring hell insurance apart from expected obedience fill the halls of every college.

A few years ago, I knew a lady who uttered the words I think many college students inwardly feel. When discussing the expectations of a disciple of Jesus, this person stated, “Whatever happened to just being saved?” By this statement, she tried to justify her carefree behavior and negligence of obedience to Christ. Whatever happened to saying a prayer, getting a promise of eternity in heaven, and then just living however you wanted for the rest of your life?