Jump Start # 866

Ecclesiastes 11:9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.

It’s the season of high school graduations. I have been to two open houses already this month, with a few more to go. Graduation is a transition time and it is a difficult time. For many, it means moving on in life. Some will be making plans to attend colleges in August and the friends that have been together for years start going different directions. New friends, new adventures and new places become the norm. Living on your own in a dorm presents new challenges, including exposure to some not so pleasant characters.

The new college student away from home finds many firsts that takes adjusting. For most, it will be the first time that they have lived on their own for any length of time. Mom won’t be there to wake you up, ask you if you’ve done your home work or to pick up your dirty clothes and wash them. Where you drop stuff is where it remains, possibly for all semester. The new college student will encounter fellow students who are irresponsible and wasting opportunities. Some that he meets won’t make it through the semester. Poor choices, failure to study will mean that they flunk out or are kicked out. All the costs that were paid, either in student loans, or by a parent is wasted. The new college student will quickly learn that some in his dorm are heavy drinkers, hard core drug users and immoral to the core. He has been sheltered from these kinds of people but now he finds himself living among them. If he is not strong, nor careful, he can become one of them.

The new college student will encounter liberal professors who are not ashamed to promote their atheistic agendas and ridicule faith in a living God. This will be a new experience for many students. Many new students will hear arguments that they have never considered before. Class after class may confuse them and it is during the college years that many toss in the towel on any faith in God. Evidence is strong for God and for what He says. The new student is peer pressured out of his convictions and many finish their college years by having nothing to do with God any longer. Liberal thinking prevails on college campuses. This is where you will find support for same-sex marriage, legalizing drugs, and questioning of all rules. Liberal thinking leads away from God.

The new college student will not have a parent waking him up on Sunday morning, telling him to get out of bed to get to church services. The late Saturday nights will be hard to conquer. He will find very few in his dorm that attends any church service. Often, the congregations around the college campuses are not what they ought to be. This is difficult as well.

At this point, you might think, this Jump Start is depressing. What bad news. You might think, you sure are grumpy today, Roger. I’m hoping to open the eyes of parents, so this summer you have things to talk about with your college student. It is your job as a parent to help them overcome these challenges. One solution is to send your child to a school that thrives on Christian principles. Not all can do that, or afford that. Another solution is to find a campus that is near an incredible congregation. Pick the church first, then the school. We usually do that backwards. Third, remember that many of us have gone through state schools and experienced the very things I wrote about and today are preaching, shepherding and serving the Lord and His kingdom to the very best that we can. People have come out on the other side with faith and integrity. It doesn’t happen by chance, but by choice.

• If you have a college freshman this August, connect him with someone in the congregation who also is a college student that seems to be doing well. I can think of several where I preach who have just finished college and are teaching Bible classes and have strong faith in the Lord. Put the two together and let them get some practical help.

• Use the summer for a detailed study of evidences. Probe into the whys and why nots so the new college student will be prepared. Read books like, Darwin’s black box and other technical books that support creation and Genesis.

• Before August comes, visit the congregation that the new student will attend. Get to know some of the people there. Make connections. Don’t wait until August and just drop him off one Sunday.

As college approaches, dads worry about the costs. Moms worry about the child eating right and staying healthy. Parents need to think about the spiritual impact this next phase will have.  There is a good chance that your child may meet someone in college that they will marry. That is a subject to talk about, isn’t it? Shame on us parents who do not think about preparing our child spiritually as they go off to college. Make sure your child takes his Bible with him to school. Keep in touch with him spiritually. Ask him about church services, not just, “did you go to church, “ but what Bible classes are you going to and what are you learning? Ask about sermons and bulletins and people and spiritual things.

The college years can be challenging. But with God on your side and some effort on your part, those challenges can be met and this can be a very rewarding chapter of their life.

The summer will go fast, and there is much to do. Be sure to help them get ready spiritually.

Roger