First Two Weeks

by Jeff Baxter
Author of Following Jesus into College and Beyond (Zondervan 2009)

Image with me...Graduation has come and gone. The middle of summer is here and you are a few short weeks before you fly or drive off to begin college. You have visited before and talked to your future roomate, but it is still going to be new in may ways. Be intentional and plan the first two weeks of your college experience. Many students establish friendships, their class attendance routine, weekend schedule and habits the first two weeks of their freshman year in college. Some college students crash and burn the first few weeks while others flourished because they made wise decisions before they landed on campus. The first two weeks could lay the groundwork for the next four years.

Start right by doing a few simple things.
1. Start the day with God. Whether reading the Bible, praying or journaling in regard to your college experience, take some time to be with your Creator, Father and Lord at the beginning of every day. Start or continue doing it this summer.

2. Make wise decisions during the day. Test the decisions you make. Pray and ask God if this would be wise and honor Him. Test the friendships you are developing. Sometimes your first impression of people is correct; other times, you need to spend more time with someone really to know who he or she is. Ask God to give you discernment along the way to know what is true. Check in with God as the day moves along.

3. End the day with God. Before you fall asleep on your comfy pillow, take some time to pray, evaluate the day, thank God for His blessings that day, ask forgiveness for areas where you fell short and ask God for rest and a great start to the next day.

Make it a habit your whole college experience (and lifetime) to fill your day with God's presence through prayer and Bible study. Put yourself around new friends who have the same beliefs, values and morals that you do because you want to worship God with your whole life. Be sure they actually are living what they say they believe, and you do the same. If you are consistent, it will pay off beyond the first two weeks.

P.S. Use Facebook, cell phones and e-mail to stay in touch with those you love back home, too. Moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, youth pastors, senior pastors and other friends can help you stay close to God along the way!