College can extremely overwhelming at times and I’m not just talking about those seemingly impossible classes. From research opportunities to boys, prepping for the MCAT to joining clubs and sororities, college can be a lot.
Living far away from home is hard. When things get tough, I don’t have any family to run to for help, hugs, or chicken noodle soup (just kidding, y’all know I really meant curry chicken). Sometimes I just want to lay down in bed with my mom and eat mini marshmallows while watching TLC or some crazy Lifetime movie. But the reality is, I’m in college now strength and comfort must come from other things in my life like my faith!
If I am being completely honest, sometimes God gets put on the back burner while in college for a lot of girls. We have millions of priorities and we forget, that we too need God just like how we need food, exercise, and to study for that upcoming midterm.
Over my past two years in college, I have found that when I work on strengthening my relationship with God, it truly gives me a sense of confidence, discipline, and peace. Below are some things I do to keep my relationship with God growing!
Bibles and Study Plans
My favorite study plan I am using right now is She Reads Truth’s Proverbs Bible Study Plan! It is easy to understand and even provides a couple of verses a day to study and analyze through aspects of your own life. There is even a community for you to get involved in! I love the intimacy that the study plan provides with God and I. Most of the time, I put in some headphones to block the world out, play some Kari Jobe (my favorite Christian artist right now) and spend 30 minutes with God before bed.
The Church Search
Okay, here is the truth…not every church fits every person. It can be hard to choose the right church to go to because either it’s your first time, no churches resemble the church you grew up in, a denomination that you grew up in or are interested in doesn’t really fit where you are in your walk with God right now! Go out and explore churches around you and pick the one that speaks to you most!
Remember, the church allows you to reconnect with God through teachings from the word. So make sure you’ve got a good one. Once you have picked a church, during the school year, if you can go to church, go. Don’t put it off and pretend like it’s not important. Your spiritual soul need the word to thrive. Going to church prepares me each week to put all my worries aside and to trust that God will help guide me through another week!
Making God a Priority
When God becomes more and more of a priority in your college life, worry, fear, and stress become smaller and smaller influences on your mind and heart. Treating God as much of a priority as you do your friends creates a different kind of genuine connection with Him rather than just reading the Bible once a week. Talking to Him, praying throughout the day, disciplining yourself to His word, trying to live like a Proverbs 31 woman, etc. are all things that take God out of the “churchiness stuff” and makes him real and apparent in your own life. Whether it’s praying every day or attending a bible study group once a week, stop allowing worldly things to influence your relationship with God by letting those things interfere with His priority in your life.
Be Nurtured to Nurture
God wants us to learn and gain knowledge from the word and the church community. You never stop growing as a Christian and to grow properly, you have to make sure you are consistently feeding your Christian self with the proper things it needs. However, being a good Christian isn’t just going to church to get that “feel good” feelings.
Although God wants us to be nurtured through Him, he also wants us to reach out to others and share this good that we have been blessed with. In other words, he wants us to be disciples in our own special ways. Giving is such a vital part of being a Christian girl and it creates a bond with God like never before. Also, start making relationships with other Christian girls. Life is hard but God didn’t put us here alone! Find friends to go to church together or attend a bible study! Show kindness to those of different faith and life choices because those relationships are important too! Start giving and creating relationships with others and see yourself blossom with God.
Be a Filter
Although I too love singing to Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, sometimes I have to take a day to detox my senses. The world is full of lots of songs, books, social media, movies, etc. that don’t exactly feed the Christian girl soul properly nevertheless, we listen, we read, and we watch. However, I find that when I filter what I’m allowing myself to hear and see on some days, I find myself more focused and clear minded. Pick a day out of the week to be a detox day. Need to listen to music? Listen to a Christian playlist on Spotify. Wanna go on social media? Pick up your latest christian girl read and spend sometime quietly reading. Now I’m not saying you have to do this every day, but allowing fewer things to cloud your mind gives you a clearer perspective on God’s plans for you!
Well, I hope this helped give you some ideas on how to strengthen your relationship with God in college. Trust me, I get it. It can be very hard to nurture that relationship (especially when you have three exams in one week). But, saying a little prayer each time your study asking for wisdom and strength goes a long way. Listening to a Christian podcast in the morning before you start your day does wonders! All relationships take work, even the one with your Heavenly Father.
Remember, you are blessed, brilliant, and beautiful! See you next time!
<3 TD
Wow, I am soo proud of you, continue to acknowledge God and the sky is the limit
Thank you so much!!!
This is beautiful! I love how you offer practical ways to enact this message of living a faithful life and keeping God at the forefront. I’m so glad I found your blog!
Thank you Monica! I’m glad you love it?!
Wow I love this. It’s the little things that count, like listening to a worship playlist in the morning or talking to God throughout the day. It can get difficult to stay in touch with God, but when we make that effort it means so much! Great post!
Yes! It makes so much of a difference staying true to yourself and your faith! All the nonsense of the world just floats on by you! Thanks for reading Takeara! 💕
This is the blog post that had the biggest impact on me this year! As a busy college student in nursing school, I can completely relate to this post. Thank you for the awesome tips!