Monday, August 25, 2008
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Ready or Not, School is Starting and God Wants Me to Go
I'm sitting in my apartment, a week away from the first day of class (law school). This week is orientation week and to be honest, I am dreading it. I'm not as social of a person as I used to be and now I dread meeting new people, doing the "nice to meet you" dance with complete strangers. I've asked for God to get me to this point for a long time, but now that I'm here, I don't want to be here. It's selfish of me because I know that I need to do this but I just don't want to. This city is liberal and full of atheists and I just want to avoid all of that because it is a challenge to have your faith be analyzed and stripped apart before your eyes.
However, I've been praying for peace about this; I need peace from God about my interactions with non-believers. I'm anxious about it because it can be exhausting, trying to defend your faith to others who are adamant about why God doesn't exist.
I am definitely needing lots of prayer right now for changes in my life. God says that there is a time for everything, a season for changes in life so although I am not ready, I know that it's not on my strength that I rely; I need to rely on God for this season of change.
How do you adapt to change and challenging situations? Students, are you ready to go back to school?
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Comments (15)
I'm with you in having anxiety issues about school. I am praying for you right now, for God's comfort and help, and I will keep it up.
The thing about defending your faith is that words can ever defend it-actions have to! If people have decided that God doesn't exist, no words you say will change their mind. What CAN make them think a little bit more is how you handle their remarks and how you treat the people around you. Don't be ashamed of the good news, but don't be heartbroken if you don't see tons of athiests coming to know the Lord right away. Sometimes people need someone to walk the walk before they are willing to listen to someone talk the talk.
I really hate change! And although I am not a student, I have students and have had tons of change in the last few years. I just moved my 18 year old son into college and now there is just one little one (6 years old) at home. He started first grade and I loved his Kindergarten teacher so, I wasn't looking forward to that change either! I'm trying to turn it all over to God, but this period of time in my life is very difficult. And it's hard for others to understand because they are either young with no children, or have a house full, or are empty-nesters. With 4 children 27 to 18 and one who is 6, I don't fall into any of those categories!
My advice, just do it! Just take that first step of faith and God will be there with you and everything will be OK. Maybe not how you pictured it or actually even want it to be, but if you are in His will, it will work out in the end!
Blessings
Karen
I know exactly what you mean. I started back to school this fall to finish my degree, after dropping out 4 years ago to work...I was soooo nervous, especially considering most of these guys were close to 10 years my junior!
The awesome thing is I just prayed about it and gave it all to God...I let go of most of my fears and now it's becoming a really great experience for me, almost like I never left. My peers have been very kind and so have the professors. I'm really enjoying going back, and thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to.
This being my last semester for graduate school/seminary.. i am both excited at what lies ahead of me and afraid/worried at the same time...
I'm a teacher and today was our first day back. I was faced with 189 new students, 189 blank stares and 189 names to learn.
That said, I have a love/hate relationship with starting school. I just want to skip the first few weeks and get into my routine!
I like how you single out the atheists and liberals as the only source of problems for Christians. Kinda sad and bigoted really.
I pray the Lord will give you strength to carry on His plan for your life! Remember, you CAN do ALL things through Him who strengthens you! His word...not mine....
I will be thinking of you! Please let us know how it goes!
As a seminary student, I can say heck no! This is my last year, but I have to take a super heavy load to graduate on time. So while I am excited about some of my courses, it's a bit tainted by the extreme weight of all I have to push through.
I am glad that you said your city is liberal one. Its because a liberal city (like the one I am in now) is also one that people seldom criticise. It is not likely that people would put up a debate for Christian faith.
I guess you have already forgotten what I have said to you when you first expressed (or when I first saw it) your anxiety over your entering of a law school. Although I have yet to complete my degree and indeed never practised in the legal profession, I think as a second year law student, I am qualified to say that your worries are unfounded. There are more religious people in my class than those who are not. By religious I mean that they are either Christians (or Catholics, not much difference in terms of this) or people who admit that a God is out there somewhere, just that they may need a final kick to get them to be Christians. Read again my comments on your first post if it needs be. Thats no pep talk, nor was it simply said to give your mind some peace. It was the reality of what a law student study.
Maybe it is more realistic for you to think more about how heavy your workload will be, as my experience says, it s gonna be much more heavy than you can imagine.
Good luck!
good luck. i'm just finishing up my 3rd year in law school and we just started last thursday. i know where you're at because i was there 2 years ago. my first year was so hard for me. i'm such an introvert and i could not stand the yelling by the professors. i contemplated quitting and even went to the dean to talk about it but he told me to finish up the year. Looking back now, I know that this was what God wanted me to do, because He wouldn't let me quit. by God's grace and His constant reminder that I'm His daughter and He is walking with me through law school pulled me through.
i've been so incredibly scared and nervous. i've been praying so hard ever since i moved in but nothing is really getting any better. i'm homesick, i don't like my dorm, my classes are hard, and the worst thing is that i don't get to see my girlfriend as much. we've been having a really hard time adjusting because she goes to a community college and i go to VT. i feel like i'm in a different world than her and she gets to live at home and i'm jealous. i wish i could live at home, my house is just 20 minutes from campus but no matter how unhappy or upset i am, my parents are making me stay here. only God knows if this is good for me, but right now i'm just wishing that i start feeling happier soon because my girlfriend is really worried about me and i don't want to see her upset and scared for me. i just wish i could be with her.
I started school last week. I was ready and not ready all at the same time. I was ready because it is my last year, and I cannot wait to graduate. Seriously. If I had a remote control that would fast forward my life, I'd move all the way to graduation. I wasn't ready because I had 8 weeks of summer school and only had a week off before I started back. Even though I first started back with my cooperating teacher, it still meant there was no vacation time. I just wanted to go home.
This year, especially this semester right now, is going to be hard. I have so much to do and read. I have no idea how it's all going to get done.
I have found that I love change a lot more now than I have in the past. It still uncomfortable at times, but I would hate to stay in the same place for the rest of my life...without any sort of change.
realize what you are doing. you are trying to impress the world and not God. Try to impress God only. And try your absolute best to impress him. I used to be like you but once I gave everything up to God and tryed my best to not lean on my understanding and totally lean on Gods I was set free. Read 2 corinthians 10:10 Paul talks about this. The best thing we can do for God is to give our selves and surrender all of our thoughts, feelings, ways, and everything to glorify him. This is from God and not from me. We can do nothing, just as Jesus says. Dont listen to yourself for guidence because that will cause you to stumble. Just think, God knows everything and he provides us with knowledge about protection from evil and we used to go to ourselves and to people with earthly knowledge for answers, that is so foolish of us. Jesus loves you, don't ever forget that he died to set us free from darkness and don't forget his resurection, because that is the truth of our faith.
realize what you are doing. you are trying to impress the world and not
God. Try to impress God only. And try your absolute best to impress
him. I used to be like you but once I gave everything up to God and
tryed my best to not lean on my understanding and totally lean on Gods
I was set free. Read 2 corinthians 10:10 Paul talks about this. The
best thing we can do for God is to give our selves and surrender all of
our thoughts, feelings, ways, and everything to glorify him. This is
from God and not from me. We can do nothing, just as Jesus says. Dont
listen to yourself for guidence because that will cause you to stumble.
Just think, God knows everything and he provides us with knowledge
about protection from evil and we used to go to ourselves and to people
with earthly knowledge for answers, that is so foolish of us.