The summer before my freshman year of college – two weeks before I left for Oklahoma Christian University – my youth minister sat me down to have a heart-to-heart.
“Be careful,” he said. “Your choice of school wouldn’t have been my choice, and I support you nonetheless, but be careful.”
In fact, my choice of school was between Oklahoma Christian and Texas A&M University. From my 17-year-old brain, the logical stance from the Church of Christ viewpoint would obviously be to attend Oklahoma Christian. For whatever reason though, my youth minister, my elders, my deacons, and even my mom were more concerned about my being at a Christian university than a state school.
Two years ago, I understood where they were coming from. They didn’t want my views to be changed or adjusted by anyone or anything. They didn’t want me to believe anything that was said and to accept it just became it came from a Christian campus. They didn’t want my faith to be blindsided and diminished while I thought I was building it up.
Today, I have no idea why they were so worried. Since my first day as a student at Oklahoma Christian, my views have become my views, and to be honest, they haven’t changed that much. That’s the promise of a Christian education – that you build your own beliefs and you develop your own faith.
If there is anyone out there who doubts his or her faith or the way they have gone about developing their spirituality while at Oklahoma Christian, know that it is all part of your story. God is not done working on you.
My elders, deacons, youth minister and mom knew that when they sent me off to college that I was a level of spiritual maturity where I would be able to handle myself. I understand that not every person on this campus is at that level, but that doesn’t mean there is not a place for you in the Kingdom.
Oklahoma Christian is a place to thrive, to grow, to call home and every other cliche in the book. This week was Homecoming Week on campus, and we welcomed home dozens of alumni who walked the same journey that we are all walking now. Every single individual who has spent one day at Oklahoma Christian as a student has a story, and they are all different.
For any student who has complained that Oklahoma Christian isn’t a “real college” because we don’t have a football team or we don’t have fraternities and sororities, think about what we do have: a body of believers who call each other family, who support and love each other, who all serve the same God.
Your time here at Oklahoma Christian is short – so make the most of it. It won’t be long until we toss our caps, receive our diplomas, and take steps out into the real world where we’ll look back and regret any opportunity we didn’t take advantage of while at Oklahoma Christian.
Thanks to all: the students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, board members and every other person who has made what Oklahoma Christian is today. It’s good to be home.
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