Now that it feels like the entire country is on house arrest and every large public institution has been shut down, most college students are back home with their families, waiting out the COVID-19 virus.
For many, this is a good or even great thing as they love the extra time with parents and siblings. Plenty of others, though, are locked in an environment of familial coldness, bickering, emotional isolation, and even hostility to their faith.
How are students supposed to spiritually grow in an environment that can be the polar opposite of what they experienced on campus? Here are four tips from someone who has walked the path before you.
1. Don’t revert to your less mature high-school self.
It’s easy to slide back into the old habits you once had when you were younger, especially when you’re back under the same roof with the same people, sleeping in the same room with the same pre-college decor. There were probably a lot of mistakes you made during your younger years, and you’re starting to notice that your past sins were waiting for you when you got back home.
How are students supposed to spiritually grow in an environment that can be the polar opposite of what they experienced on campus?
Porn is, all of a sudden, a huge problem for you again. That mirror you used to stare at when you were 17 mocks the freshman 15 pounds you’ve put on in the last year. Lies are prevalent. Hope feels lost.
Yet Proverbs gives us a visceral image to squeamishly ponder: “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” (Prov. 26:11) Yikes. None of us likes to think of ourselves as puke-eating dogs, but this is the image that should come to mind when we’re tempted to lap up our past sins.
You’re a new creation in Christ Jesus—foolishness no longer suits your character.
2. Stay connected as much as you’re able.
It’s clear to see from Scripture that Christianity isn’t a solo endeavor, and feeling alone in your own childhood home can be suffocating. Yet when it’s impossible to leave the house and connect with others face to face, the digital era is a temporarily good Plan B.
You’re a new creation in Christ Jesus—foolishness no longer suits your character.
Though nothing can replace actual human contact, we do live in a day where communication can be easily accessed. Social distancing doesn’t apply to cyberspace!
If you miss your Bible study, your roommates, campus-ministry friends, or fellow church members, take the initiative to set up a Zoom chat where you can see everyone’s face and interact. Don’t just passively settle for social-media posts and watching videos of what your friends are putting out there—actually interact with them. Ask how they’re doing. Seize the opportunity to pray with them. Laugh at old jokes. Come up with new ones. Social distancing doesn’t have to be the end of your relationships.
In this season of prolonged isolation, Insta-stories won’t be sufficient to satisfy our heart’s longing for relationships. Take the initiative to be a good friend amid this isolation.
3. Keep a schedule.
Don’t waste this unique time by sleeping in every day until noon. Get up at a reasonable hour, opt for something besides sweatpants, eat three meals a day, study, catch up on any work you fell behind on, and be productive while at home.
Take time to read that book you’ve been meaning to pick up, or start that Bible reading plan you haven’t had time for. Keeping a schedule will help you not waste time scrolling on your phone for hours each day. You’ll feel more satisfied and fruitful if you don’t simply spend the days, but invest them.
4. Look at your home as a time on the mission field.
Many of you as students have siblings or parents who aren’t fellow believers in Christ, and that can be extremely difficult for multiple reasons.
They knew you growing up and have seen you at your worst. They know how to “push your buttons” and make you angry. They fed you, rocked you to sleep, changed your diapers, and put you in time-out for bad behavior. All of that is pretty humbling when we think about trying to proactively have a spiritual influence on them.
Keeping a schedule will help you not waste time scrolling on your phone for hours every day.
Yet if you look to this uncommon time at home as the specific place God has you in as a missionary on the mission field, that perspective can change much for your better and for his glory.
For example, probably no one is better equipped than you to share the gospel with your siblings and parents. Just as much as they know your history, you know theirs too. Ask your brother if he’s thought about spiritual stuff in light of that comment your uncle made at Thanksgiving. Ask your mom if she’s pondered what happens when someone dies in light of Grandpa’s heart attack three years ago. How did your sister process love and relationships after her boyfriend broke up with her? What does your dad worry about? How does your family’s history with alcoholism concern your siblings when they think about the future? Ask good questions, and actually listen through new ears when they speak. Apologize and ask for forgiveness where you failed in the past.
You know myriad details about your family that nobody else on earth knows, so use that as an opportunity to show them the love and grace of God like God has showed his love and grace to you. Perhaps he has positioned you to be a light for the gospel in the most unlikely of places—your own home.
Involved in Women’s Ministry? Add This to Your Discipleship Tool Kit.
We need one another. Yet we don’t always know how to develop deep relationships to help us grow in the Christian life. Younger believers benefit from the guidance and wisdom of more mature saints as their faith deepens. But too often, potential mentors lack clarity and training on how to engage in discipling those they can influence.
Whether you’re longing to find a spiritual mentor or hoping to serve as a guide for someone else, we have a FREE resource to encourage and equip you. In Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests, Melissa Kruger, TGC’s vice president of discipleship programming, offers encouraging lessons to guide conversations that promote spiritual growth in both the mentee and mentor.
