On a Secular Campus
So, college. I suppose somewhere in the back of my mind I was hoping that it wouldn’t be like it is in the movies, but over these past short weeks, I’ve nearly come to terms with the fact that college is essentially portrayed pretty accurately on the big screen. Save a few exaggerations of course, and the fact that it lasts a lot longer than an hour and a half, but all in all, it’s basically the same.
A few weeks ago, I went to my first ‘frat party’. It actually turned out to be rather boring. It consisted almost entirely of freshmen who wanted a head start on the whole social scene, and the occasional upperclassmen with nothing better to do before classes started. It wasn’t too terrifying. There was alcohol, as I had expected. A few nice upperclassmen who I’ve befriended told me that they didn’t drink, though, so they had other things to drink. Since then, I’ve been to a few more parties. Some of which were registered events, which means that they cannot have alcohol at the actual party, which is surprisingly effective. I mean, sure, there are people who just show up drunk, but for the most part, people are sober, which is something I never realized could be taken for granted. I won’t make that mistake again.
I don’t think alcohol is ‘bad’. I, personally do not have any desire to be drunk. I mean it doesn’t sound like a good idea to not be in control of my body. Alcohol doesn’t make me more fun to be around, and I know that because drunk people are generally pretty obnoxious. I want to be able to make good decisions; I also believe that coherency is underrated. Drunkenness is where the problems start. I guess my point is that drinking in moderation is fine. Also, being in denial about alcohol is stupid. People drink. I just have to be smart about who I hang around, and what I’m doing.
As far a my church search goes, there are no LCMS churches near here, unless they’re hiding from me. A few weeks ago I decided to go to mass with my friend at the local Catholic church. It was a fairly nice service, and it felt good to be at a church since it seems like I haven’t been in ages. The congregation was pretty large, and was very welcoming to us and other visitors. I had a bit of a difficult time trying to follow along, though. I’ve since been to the local Methodist church, where several of my friends go. That service was more comfortable for me, personally. I really liked it. It seemed more like what I am used to, I suppose. I’ll probably continue to go there.
Aside from church, my personal relationship with God is becoming a bit awkward. I’ve been stressed about classes, and everything school-related, and it’s been taking me longer than usual to remember to take stuff to God. I’m so distracted that, even though prayer should be my first thought when I’m freaking out about things, it just doesn’t occur to me right away. And that in itself is disconcerting. I feel like every time I do stop to pray, God’s thinking, “Oh, hey… Haven’t really heard from you in a while… Are we still cool?” He’s turning into that best friend you make at summer camp but neglect to email after summer ends. Not good. God, please remind me to pray! I feel like I need to put a sticky note on my computer screen to fit it into my schedule. You know what? I think I will do that…
Good thing God doesn’t need a sticky note to remember us. Check out Isaiah 49:15-16.
Written by H.A.
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