What Are You Here For?

To the one still unpacking clothes, boxes and bags strewn out over their campus living floor, and the one who has yet to start unpacking:

Welcome to a new school year.

Welcome, freshmen, to new friends, a new school and a new transition.

Welcome, sophomores, to a new dorm, old friends and more opportunities.

Welcome, juniors, to preparatory internships, challenging classes and more “adulting.”

Welcome, seniors, to a fourth year (or fifth), a last school year and lifelong memories.

What will you do with it?

This school year does not have to be like your last school year, or the year before that or the year before that. This is your clean slate, whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or transfer student. This is your chance.

You could hold back. You could stay comfortable. You could even decide not to do your best, not take any risks, not go beyond your potential.

Or you could.

Despite what you may think, you are here, at Oklahoma Christian University, this year, for a reason. You are not here to slack off, procrastinate or stay in your comfort zone.

In my experience, I have found every school year presents something different than the prior year. Perhaps it is a new friendship, relationship, professor, class, job, social club, sports team or even something different internally – a different perspective.

Perspective is key for your year. Your vision for this school year will set the tone and limit to your success.

So choose optimism. Choose to strive. Choose to persevere.

You are here for so much more than yourself. You are here for those around you, to serve the One who loves you and made you, to utilize the talents you have been given and go after the dreams you have.

New school year. New perspective. What are you really here for?

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