Page 32 - Chap7-生活篇
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A New Spiritual Journey in College
                                                                                                        Shiphrah Zhang


                        or a girl who had been raised by Christian        knowledge.  I faced professors who clearly
                    Fparents, church became a routine, and going          demonstrated their rejection of Christianity and

                    to fellowship was part of our family’s weekly         provoked discussions that resulted in students
                    agenda.  Missing fellowship on Fridays here           questioning themselves.  My English class
                    at RHCCC felt unnatural for my brother and I.         had discussions on topics such as whether

                    Going to church on Fridays and Sundays was            evil existed or whether evil was necessary to
                    so ingrained in my family’s routine that I never      achieve success.  The topics seemed ridiculous
                    stopped to ponder on why I went to church.  I         and obvious yet some students were baffled
                    realized that, obviously, church is a place to        when confronted with such questions.  I believe
                    meet with other believers and to worship God          it was specifically through my English class

                    toegther as one body; fellowship is where             that I realized just how blind people can be
                    we share, learn, and grow with one another.           when they are without God, whose laws can
                    However, when I was little, these reasons             serve as a clear guideline in our lives.  Aside

                    alone didn’t draw me to fellowship, I was more        from professors, I also encountered peers
                    attracted to spending time with friends, playing      who questioned morality.  I remembered a
                    games, and social events.  These factors have         student whom I worked with in a group asked,
                    become precious memories; however, with a             “what makes rape wrong?”  He knew rape
                    peaceful life under protective parents, I didn’t      was condemned by authorities as well as the

                    feel the impact of the faith in my life.              public, but he didn’t understand why it was
                                                                          condemned.  Entering college, my eyes were
                    Entering college was definitely a major change        opened to how lost a world without God can be.

                    in my life.  College served as an expansion of        I also found that it was impossible to answer
                    my limited view of the real world.  I was not         their questions if they didn’t believe in God’s
                    only vulnerable to the different viewpoints           existence.  In order to answer such questions, I
                    adults had but also pushed to examine my own          knew I had to learn how to approach the topic
                    beliefs and reasons behind the Christian point        of God with a nonbeliever and equip myself

                    of view.  As a young believer, I often based my       with knowledge.  I was-- and still am-- lacking
                    faith on experience.  Throughout high school,         in many aspects of the Christian viewpoint.  As
                    God had drawn me close to him by answering            a community college student who commuted,

                    my prayers and overwhelming my family with            this restricted me from joining a reliable and
                    His love.  I felt I had a solid foundation built on   secure Christian fellowship.  It was through
                    my witness of God’s love as I would constantly        these realizations that I discovered how blessed
                    be reminded of such experiences.  However,            I am to have a college fellowship that can help
                    it was through college that I discovered that         us grow together in our faith.

                    there was more to my faith that I lacked:



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