I’ve failed miserably. I’ve invested countless hours into my high school friends and then let them go off to college without any spiritual support around them. The post below is an encouragement to you and a means of accountability for myself. I don’t want to make that same mistake again.
Many of our Young Life friends recently graduated high school and will be starting college this month. What happens during those first few weeks of college will significantly influence, not only their next four years, but the very direction of their lives.
Pastor Andy Stanley says “Direction, not intention, determines destination.” He illustrates, “If you’re going north on I-85, you’re not going to end up in Florida.”
We can have conversations with our friends about their hopes and goals for college, but those good intentions can easily be forgotten once the lures of college begin to entice. We must help them be intentional with their intentions.
If they desire college to be an experience leading them to deeper intimacy with God, then we can help go that direction. One practical way to do that is by making a phone call.
Odds are there is an active Young Life ministry in the town where your friends are going to college. If so, it’s worth it to spend the time to look up the phone number of the YL staff in that area. One easy way to find the number is by using the online Young Life locator.
If there is not Young Life at that college, there most certainly are other campus ministries and healthy churches around the area. Spend some time on Google and do some research along-side your recently graduated friend. By making one simple phone call, you may help connect them with someone who can significantly impact their journey after Jesus.
Even Jesus sent out his disciples in pairs. We’re not meant to do this alone. Let’s work hard at helping our friends find someone to walk alongside of them. It just might be the most important phone call you make this August.
