The first semester of freshman year I came to BJU excited to be independent. I loved my family, but I was just ready to do my own thing. Life was going great until something hit me and hit me hard, like a bowling ball. Homesickness. I missed my family, my country, my cultural way of doing things, Friday family game nights–literally everything.
My first inclination was thinking I wasn’t capable of going through college and finishing what I’d started. To a certain extent, I gave up on being happy and instead focused on all my misfortunes and the people I missed. Homesickness became more than just missing my family. Self-pity developed from my feelings of homesickness. Lack of trust in God was translating my feelings of homesickness into beliefs that I deserved more than college and this stage of life God had put me in. I tricked myself into thinking I deserved more than what God was giving me without even realizing it. Because of this, I didn’t feel fulfilled at BJU. However, I was missing the point. College isn’t just for me.
College is about so much more. It can be a stage of preparation for the beautiful plan God has in store for you. And college, like everything else, is about God and His glory. I started to realize the difference between what a true love for family is and what a lack of trust in God is. Love for family can certainly mean you miss your family to the point of sobbing, but trusting God means you know He has a plan and wants you to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.
Here’s the long and short of it:
- Missing family is natural. These feelings just mean you love them, and that’s a good thing!
- Enjoy college! God will do great things through you if you let Him.
