By the grace of God, I’ve successfully completed two weeks of classes at Pepperdine University and also coped pretty well with being away from home. Coming from a community college, this has been a huge transition for me, which I am loving nonetheless. But it has taken a great deal of soul searching to reach this point since I was initially filled with the feeling that I wasn’t good enough to be here.
Some of the people I met here have also mentioned that they felt the same way at one point. As a transfer student, I was disheartened by the fact I was back at square one and only had two years to accomplish what freshmen had four years to do.
My selfish desires are entirely to blame. I had set my focus on what I wanted for myself, not what God wanted for me. I had shoved God to the backseat.
In Proverbs 3:5-6, the Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
As we grow older and more educated in the ways of the world, it becomes harder to keep an innocent faith in the Lord and trust what we cannot see. However, God knows us better than we know ourselves. When you feel the grip on your self-esteem slipping, try taking out the “self” from it. Ask yourself if God gave you the heart to do whatever it is that you do. Once you put God at the core, you will no longer be shackled to the stress of having to maintain a competitive edge.
That’s not to say you will be stress-free. Throughout college, there inevitably will be times when you compare yourself to your peers and consequently feel worthless and not good enough. During those times, look to God. Let go of your desires and let God take the reins. Once you lay down everything at His feet, God will carry out His plan, which is frankly the best one there is.
_____
Follow the Pepperdine Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic
