For the past year and a half I have been living in a college
world with college victories and college worries. Although this realm that I
have had the privilege to experience is very cumbersome and very “real” at times,
I have recently found that it is not just training for the work field, but for
the “real” world as a whole. The past two weeks have thrown me into a world
without the safety net of the shaded lens often referred to as the college
world. I have been thrown into “reality”.
I found out
a couple of weeks ago that someone very dear to me is battling cancer. Cancer –
what a scary word. How can one word bring so many emotions and tears to so many
people? The more I thought about this, the more I realized that it is only
scary because that is how this world
portrays it, but my allegiance isn’t to this world. It is to its creator. Psalm
107:19-21 says, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved
them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them
from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his
wonderful deeds for mankind”(NIV). All
we have to have is faith – “He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed
you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering’” (Mark 5:34, NIV).
Whenever we
feel hopeless and alone, or don’t understand why God would put us and people
that we love in certain situations, we need to remember that he hasn’t
abandoned us, or the people that we love. We know this because of verses like
Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be
afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever
you go” (NIV).
Being
thrown into “real” world situations is an inevitable right of passage every
young adult will experience. What matters though is not the experience itself,
but how we choose to handle it. Two passages from Hebrews come to mind when I
think of God guiding us through rough waters. The first is Hebrews 12:1-2 – “Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the
pioneer and perfecter of faith” (NIV). The second is Hebrews 13:1-3 – “Keep on
loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality
to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels
without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were
together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves
were suffering”(NIV). When you get a spare moment, I encourage you to think
about what verses keep you going when the world seems too “real”. You never
know when you might need them.
Whether we
are the ones suffering, watching people suffer, or a mixture of both, we have
no reason to fear. This world is only as “real” as you choose to believe. God’s
got this.
