College: The End

Well, it’s over – college has finally come to an end. After four years of trials, sleepless nights, bad food, annoying roommates, unnecessary rules, confining dress codes, impossible assignments, and relational difficulties, I am finally done! And yet…I miss it. Amidst the trivial annoyances and structures, I have also laughed more than I had in the previous eighteen years put together, I met people that will never be erased from my memory or heart, my mind had been stretched, my heart opened, and my soul burdened, I made memories that will be cherished above all others. Yes, I am rid of authority breathing down my neck, but I am also rid of friends holding my hand and watching my back every day of the week. Sure, I no longer have to endure the obnoxious renaissance songs in chapel, but I also will never spend late nights mingling my guitar and friends’ voices in worship to my God. Of course, I will no longer be submitted to the shady cuisine of the dining hall, but Saturday mornings will no longer be filled with pancakes, coffee, and the dearest girls in the world. Naturally, my schedule will never include the mundane ritual of mission prayer band, but I also will never have the benefit of randomly turning to prayer with my dearest friends. Thankfully, I will never be required to watch in disgust the relational developments and disintegration of everyone on campus, but I also will never again have the joy of watching and partaking of the everyday joys & trials of my dear friends. I won’t have to endure the annoyances of roommates, but I also can’t spontaneously escape any longer to my friend’s room right down the hall. I now no longer have to walk miles in the freezing, northern weather or the torrential spring rains, but I also will no longer have the joy of walking & talking for miles with friends and confidentially sharing my umbrella from place to place. No more bad dining hall coffee – no more good Daily Grind coffee. No more dressing up for special events – no more dressing up for randomly initiated friend events. No more stressing over quizzes – mo more laughter during the late night crams. No more d’s for returning late to campus – no more memories about the adventures acquiring them. No more worrying about the school bill – no more opportunities to see God’s provision…ah, but wait – that one I still do have! In spite of the fact that, seemingly, all that was good in my life is now over, my God is still with me! Though the memories fade, the laughter ceases, and the friends grow apart, my God is ever near. And through the years, when I long for the good times to return though nothing seems to be left of them, I can have peace and joy knowing that my God – the center and cause of all those happy memories – is still with me. He still unites the friends, holds the memories, and causes the laughter! And things…really aren’t that different.