vanessa

I was raised to believe that Christian values were important, but I had never given much thought to how being a Christian
affected my life on a daily basis.

I had been taught that it was God who made the world, and that Jesus was sent to make the world better: my part was to do
the right thing and follow the Golden Rule.

I thought of myself as a strong, independent, self-sufficient person. I was respectful of my elders, did well in school, participated in sports, and stayed out of trouble. I didn’t think I needed more than what I already knew about Christianity to have a good life. In fact, I felt that those who publicly proclaimed strong Christian beliefs and relied on faith to get them through life were aloof from the ‘real world’. Or, they were just using their faith as an excuse not to work hard and succeed on their own, blaming their failures not on their own shortcomings, but on God’s will. While I respected their good deeds and desire to save others, I felt that their emphasis on putting everything in the hands of God was a sign of weakness, or a lack of personal drive and faith in themselves.

When I was 16, I left home to go to a prestigious Ivy League university over 900 miles away. I had visions of entering an environment where everyone else would be respectful, studious, take care of themselves, and stay out of trouble. I was shocked and disappointed when I arrived on campus and saw other students attending wild drinking parties, engaging in casual sex, and some even doing drugs. Some were downright hostile towards conservative values and Christian beliefs. While my family had instilled in me enough self-respect to not engage in those types of destructive behaviors, I was confused and did not know how to react to those who did. It was difficult being in a position where so many people openly debated and questioned my beliefs. For the first time in my life, I found that I couldn’t win at everything every time. No matter how strong I was, or how hard I tried, I couldn’t change the way other people were or how society was, and it felt like a failure. I isolated myself, focusing on academics and athletics to help keep my mind off of what was going on around me. When I did emerge from the library or the gym, I became angry and confrontational with those around me, and did my share
of cursing and fighting.

But just when I felt most alone and upset, God brought people into my life who shared my beliefs and values. It turned out that there were, in fact, others on campus who felt as I did, and who had a much stronger faith than I. I soon began looking forward to Sunday mornings, when we would get together as a group to eat breakfast and walk to church. I finally felt like I fit in- like I had found a group of people who would not ridicule me for what I believed, and who would be there for me even when things got tough. Through adversity, you come to realize that it is more important to choose your associates based on who they are on the inside rather than their “coolness” or social status on the outside. Going to church and sharing discussions with other Christians helped put me more at peace to accept that which I could not control, and more relaxed in my dealings with those of differing viewpoints. It made the rest of my college career seem much easier.

I learned several valuable lessons from this experience:

1) While I still want to change the world, I now know I need others who share my views to help change it, and that even with their help, all of us still need God. I still think of myself as strong and independent, but I now know I can’t do everything on my own.

A few years ago, I heard a great sermon in which the preacher said something to the effect of “You do the best you can do- you carry out your part of the bargain, and trust God to take care of the rest.” I think this really sums it up for me. I don’t believe you can do nothing and expect God to just take care of everything for you, ie: to provide you with food and shelter if you’re not willing to work. But at the same time, I now know that an individual can not do it on his or her own. There is definitely a part of it that is dependent upon God’s will. Self-sufficiency and belief in God are not mutually exclusive. I now see faith in God as a strength, not a weakness, since it stops me from worrying about that which I can’t control, and frees me up to focus on being the best I can be in areas that I can control.

2) Once you’ve put what you can’t control into God’s hands, know that He has plans and that everything happens for a reason, even if that reason may not be evident at the time. God will often hit us with challenges and adversity, but He knows what he is doing and won’t give us a challenge we can’t endure. If we accept these challenges, put forth our best effort, and put our faith in God, we will emerge a stronger and better person.

Had I gone to a small school near home and not accepted the challenge of going away to a big diverse university, I might not have faced the adversity that I did. While it was tough at first, and I did everything I could and still struggled emotionally, I believe God put me through this test to show me that I could not do it on my own, and that I needed Him to get through. He was there for me when the going got tough. When I was at a low point and doubting the world, God gave me a network of support that enabled me to make it through. Not only was I able to do well academically and athletically, and graduate from a great university, but I learned how to stand my values and beliefs in the face of criticism. Had I not been exposed to such a wide variety of opinions and cultures, I still might not know today how to deal with others who do not share my views, and would still be responding to them in counter-productive ways.

3) It is possible to maintain your core values when it seems like the world is against you. My message to other young people struggling out there is this: If I was able to survive as a naïve, small-town 16 year old girl in a big university miles from home, you can too. God will help you do it. Know that no matter how much immorality you may see portrayed on TV, in magazines, in popular culture, or maybe even all around you in your school or university, Hollywood’s images are not reality. There are others out there who share your faith, and God will help you find them. While I am not saying that I haven’t made mistakes and sometimes strayed from what I know is right, I feel that having a strong Christian faith helps get me through these bumps in the road. It gives me principles to guide me through the tough times in this sometimes twisted, immoral world.

Finally, some may ask what being part of a fitness team has to do with Christian beliefs. For me, (and I believe for a vast majority of the athletes Coach A trains) its not about vanity but about taking care of myself through exercise and eating right. I want to be strong and healthy so I can be the best I can be, better face the challenges thrown at me, and achieve the things God intended.

I believe that God gave us each one body to last a lifetime, and we are not respecting ourselves or God if we abuse it by not taking care of it and putting harmful substances into it. Joining a team whose coach and members feel the same way helps us get stronger as a group and really give it our best.

It is my desire that everyone have the opportunity to know and choose
WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?