Update from a Student

I am currently in the eighth week of sixteen here at Liberty University. I’m fairly certain that God is using this college experience in the most growth oriented way I can handle. I continue to see his shining grace in contrast to the dark fabrics of my pride. Friendships have grown and some have been hindered but my heart for Him continues to be strengthened and His love for me continues to be evident.

One concept of my wellbeing that I believe God has grown me in is my solitude. There is nothing more valuable than my ability to recharge. Within the semester, I have foolishly exhausted myself to the point of getting frustrated and annoyed daily; both feelings I detest experiencing. I found myself avoiding friends because why not? If I believe I can do better without them, I should shove them out of the way and get on with my amazing life. Well that is one of the great lies of this world. I have surely never completely shut anyone out of my life, but I definitely distanced myself as much as I could.

Friendship is needed. I know my community here and how they act. I know their character. Retrospectively thinking, I should have tried talking to them sooner and been honest with how I was feeling and the solitude I so desperately needed. I just figured that maybe this semester was different and we all changed to much over the break. I figured we had simply grown apart. Practically speaking, this does happen, but I didn’t think it would happen like this. And so, thankfully, my friends reached out to me. We solved some issues and discussed further issues. We still have major differences but I don’t expect us to all be the same. Now, we are on the road to recovery.

Going back to solitude, I seriously need time alone. Well not necessarily time alone, but time away. I love hanging out with people, but I love spending time in my own thoughts too. God has been so gracious in giving me opportunities to value time for myself and Him.

Blaise Pascal said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

While I disagree about how all of humanity’s problems have to do with spending time in quiet, Pascal had some reasoning. Thinking is good and thoughts should be valued. Anything is better than going into a meaningless direction or forcing yourself to avoid problems. I relate to this quote so much because I have the ability to sit quietly in a room alone. It’s all a matter of if I recognize the need and I thank God for opening my eyes to it.