About four months before writing this blog I was a bit miserable. I had just completed a melancholic and somewhat turbulent spring term at school, one filled with highs and lows in all aspects of life, and was dreading the next few months at home. In the past, work terms have typically coincided with physical, emotional, and spiritual lows, and at that time I had no reason to expect anything else.
Thus, my expectations going into the term were quite low. I decided that I’d put my head down, get as much work done as I could, and ultimately finish the year as painlessly as possible. I’d ignore how dead my home church services (which were still recovering from the pandemic) seemed, how I had zero friends in my area, and how our college fellowship consisted of around 10 people at max (including me and my siblings), and eventually I’d be free from it all.
In hindsight, I see that there were most definitely issues with my thought process. Firstly, my presumptions about having no friends and my church being socially dead turned out to be completely wrong. But more importantly, I failed to remember that God works in ways beyond our understanding, and had instead subconsciously assumed that He wouldn’t work at all.
I think all Christians would agree that this is a dangerous (and not to mention horrible) attitude to take, whether we’re aware of it or not. However, I have a nagging suspicion that it may be more prevalent then we would like to believe, especially among Waterloo CCF goers.
Our terms in Waterloo often tend to be full of spiritual growth, fellowship, and joy. Loving and zealous brothers and sisters seem to be everywhere; encouragement and support are always a mere step away. Musical worship in a room of hundreds of other believing students feels enriching and powerful, and we’re reminded of our faith in Christ on an almost daily basis. And this is a beautiful thing, albeit only for a brief period of our lives.
However, can it still be called beautiful if we stumble off the narrow path without it?
Before I continue on, I want to make it clear that fellowship is an absolutely essential part of the Christian walk. The Bible makes this clear in many different places — for example, 1 Corinthians 12 speaks about the body of Christ, and how Christians cohesively fulfill unique roles to further God’s kingdom. Acts is full of examples of almost idealistic Christian communities, and even before Jesus came into this world, Solomon wrote: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
However, nowhere in the Bible does it say that our spiritual investment and growth can only happen in Waterloo CCF (which, as many of you are probably aware by now, is not a church). So why is it that this so often happens to be the case? Are our home churches simply lacking something? Or is there a deeper, root issue with many of our faiths?
In a few months, high school youth fellowships across the province will be preparing to say goodbye to their graduating students. Many counselors will undoubtedly talk about how so many students will fall away from the faith once they start university, and implore their graduates to stand firm instead. Statistically, however, many of those high school graduates will soon lose their way — similarly, many believing university graduates will find themselves adrift as well.
This alarming fact leads to a question of utmost importance: Do we actually, truly, believe in the gospel message? Or is our supposed faith simply a product of immediate circumstance, something that will wither and dissolve as soon as our circumstances change?
I pray that we can all truthfully claim the former, but statistically this likely won’t be the case. Most of us can probably name at least a few people we once considered brothers and sisters in Christ who have already drifted away, and unfortunately they’re unlikely to be the last. And even worse, some of us may join them. Every time you go to a CCF event, it is quite possible that some of those who zealously worship with you may not worship God at all in a few years time, which is terrifying to think about.
However, while statistically losing brothers and sisters along the way might seem inevitable, we must never forget God’s abounding love and providence. We must never forget how we, utterly evil and irredeemable sinners, have been reconciled to God purely because of His unending grace, mercy, and love towards us. We can rest assured because God sent His Son to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and because we are His children He will never let us go from the palm of His hand.
Thus I implore you to really think about your faith, to work it out with fear and trembling. Make sure you actually believe what you think you believe, instead of just imitating what those around you do. Yes, enjoy and be enriched by your present time in CCF, but remember that life doesn’t end after university — in fact, God has quite the plan for you in store.
Now, please remember that like you, I am also an imperfect sinner. The encouragement I just wrote out was something that I forgot going into last term, and I was a bit unsure if I could include it (if it’s still there, then the editors thought it was fine XD).
However, life went on regardless of my melancholy, and God once again reminded me of who He is. My church and its college fellowship suddenly revitalized, with more attendees than there were before the pandemic. I was able to enjoy quality time with my family, I found many brothers and sisters in Christ to spend time and fellowship with, and to top it off, God answered a prayer I’ve had for many, many years. At a time when I doubted Him, God reminded me that He is good. There will be ups and downs in life, times when He gives and times when He takes away, but ultimately God is good.
And I pray that both you and I will remember that for the rest of our time here on earth.
