U is for University

            A good friend of mine once said that God seems to bring up a reoccurring topic in her life in order to get a point across. It’s His way of flashing a neon sign and getting her attention. Well, in college, some topics aren’t simply reoccurring. They are routine.

            Sex, drugs, and alcohol have become staple sources of entertainment among most people I know. Instead of old high school hangouts, people lose touch with reality and crave physical pleasures. This lifestyle is embedded in the very fibers that make up my university’s culture, but God has shown me that it isn’t something to be avoided or ignored. Without experiencing some of the messier sides of life, we won’t understand how He works or how he wants us to live. I’ve been to the parties where people drunkenly share too much, cry with strangers, and sloppily care for their friends. I’ve seen people bare their souls and know that they wouldn’t remember it the morning. And God wants us to be there. He wants us to understand that pain, joy, and anger manifest themselves in unique ways. That above all, people wish for a freedom from responsibility, from consequence. Despite our actions we are truly all the same. We need love, friendship, and self worth, but everyone’s search for these desires is different. Some choose self-destructive paths, and others try to prove themselves. Regardless of their walk of life, God has really shown me that a person’s decisions do not ultimately determine who they are. We need to look at people for their hearts, and with God, we’ll see them as He sees them: beautiful.