Certainty Amidst Uncertainty

Leslie Robinson is a member of the Senior Class of 2011 at Circle Christian School. She shared these words with fellow students at a meeting for high school juniors.

As juniors, you probably know that you are at the age when the first thing people say to you is, “Oh, you’re almost a senior, so, where are you going to college, and what do you want to study?” If people haven’t been saying this to you, let me warn you, it is coming. It’s almost as popular as the phrase when you were younger, “Wow, haven’t you grown!” or more recently, “You are driving? You are not old enough to be driving yet?!?”

The reason that I am here to speak to you today is to give you some encouragement that has helped me go through what you all are experiencing right now. Even though I have done many things to help me figure out what majors and careers I might like, from shadowing professional in their jobs, talking about college with my parents and people that know me well, and even doing extensive research on different jobs that I could possibly be good at, I am still unsure where God wants me. I can relate with you; I know it can be a stressful time, especially if you do not yet have answers to those questions about college. I have to share this really hilarious email that I received from a little scholarship website that I had signed up with on the computer, because I think it perfectly describes my situation.

“Thank You, Leslie! Based on your responses to our post-secondary planning questionnaire here at Scholarship Matches, I am happy to send you a report showing you the many opportunities available to you after high school, particularly in the field of Undecided/Other.”

That is a wide open field, isn’t it?

Still, it is crucial to know that, in the midst of all the preparation for college, it just as important to think about our spiritual future as well as our academic future. Because, if you think about it, our spiritual future has greater consequences than our academic future.

I read that it is roughly estimated that 50 percent of professing Christians in high school will renounce their faith after college. Now, why is this? Do people just go to college and become too smart for God, able to explain the world around them without God, or finally understand that religion is for the uneducated people? Of course not! Our God is the author of all Wisdom and Truth! We will never grow “too smart” for God. The reason for this is that in college, there will be distractions and temptations and so much false thinking to pull you away. Satan is just waiting for the time when you are in college and are vulnerable. Right now is the time to strengthen yourself to resist this temptation. You must, in a sense, put on God’s armor so that you can live in this world, but not of this world.

Finally, something I have found to be extremely helpful to my spiritual growth right now is reading books that explain God’s Word and help us understand who God is and who we are in that light. Plus, Paul the apostle tells us in Scripture that we should be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us. So, what are you going to do when you are in college, and someone asks you, “Why are you a Christian?” Or even yet, what will you do when a professor tells you that “Science has disproved God” or that “The Bible is full of errors and false claims.” You can’t just say, “Well, I feel that Christianity is right.” We must study God’s truth so that we can explain why and what we believe. It is very important that we study this now, and not later.

For those of us who are Christians, we need to be excited about living for our Savior in this dark world wherever we go to college. We read in 1st Peter that “We are a chosen race, a people for His own possession, so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness.” How can we lose hope when we know that the God we serve is the Alpha and Omega, and that he knows that beginning from the end? It is so relieving to know that our life is ultimately in the hands of our Father in Heaven, and not in our own hands. So, when our future may seem a bit unclear, we know that our God is an all-knowing God, and that by trusting in Him, he will direct our paths.

I put together a small book list with some books that I found most helpful. I wish you all the best in your college preparations.

Books

A Heart for God, by Sinclair Furguson

Every Thought Captive, by Richard Pratt, Jr.

Don’t Waste Your Life, by John Piper

Know What You Believe, by Paul Little

Know Why You Believe, by Paul Little

A Reason for God, by Tim Keller

The Enemy Within, by Kris Lundgaard

Truth for All Time, by John Calvin

Knowing Scripture, by R.C. Sproul

A Praying Life, by Paul E. Miller

The God Who Is There, by Francis Schaeffer

God Centered Evangelism, by R.B Kuiper

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