Maintaining a spiritual connection with Christ in college was difficult because there were so many distractions and people who grew up differently and interpreted the Bible differently. College is a place for people to discover who they are. Growing up in church, we are forced to do things our parents told us to do and never able to make decisions for ourselves. In college, there is no one waking you up at 9:00 a.m. to get up for church, making you go to church on Wednesday nights, or making you wear a specific outfit to church. College gives you the freedom to do what you want to do. The experiences are different yet very similar.
To stay spiritually connected and not fall into distractions, I made sure to keep myself around like-minded people, people who believed in Christ and were on “fire” for Jesus. Having people to hold me accountable was important. They made sure I woke up on time to make it to church and sent me videos of their favorite messages to encourage me. Having a crew to go to church with was also significant because going to church alone is boring. My group of friends and I visited different churches until we found one that we liked. I love The Place of Faith OKC and the community I built there. Also, going to weekly Bible Study on campus always made my week better. Black Collegiate Ministries is so vital to so many black students on campus because it gives all of us a piece of home, and my peers are the leaders.
Staying connected and focused on Christ was crucial because so much was going on in school, at home, and in life. My mind got off track. Stress and anxiety were overwhelming experiences I had never experienced before. I had to come up with different ways to remain connected, so worship music and meditation became my escape. Getting disconnected and forgetting who made me whole and helped me through everything was scary, but I was grateful to have a support system that kept reminding me that without God, nothing is possible.