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| Revived and Preserved |
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John Liu
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I am a recent graduate from UCI, a university where the Christian Students club is quite diverse and busy. Here I discovered the narrow path of life in this little safe haven within the larger world of college.
I grew up as a Christian my whole life, born into a Christian family with a deep Christian background. Thus, the God I followed my parents in worshipping tended to belong to them and not to me. I did not feel any responsibility to do anything on my part but just attend meetings with my parents. It was not until my second year in college that I began to take a stand for my faith and incorporate my parents’ faith into my own. I involved myself in the activities a normal Christian would do and realized that the Lord had been and was continuing to preserve me; many times I had had thoughts to forsake my faith.
I now thank my God for preserving me. On campus I met up with other members of Christian Students and we fellowshipped over lunch. This actually aided in keeping me on track. Fellowshipping with other believers was a lifeline. I was surprised that they were able to relate so closely to my own situation. Many had gone through similar experiences in one way or another. Whether nourishing me with a verse from the Bible or simply offering me human advice, my Christian companions helped me out of the dithering, complex array of thoughts I tended to have while being alone and on my own.
One indispensable practice in strengthening my faith was meeting regularly with my small Bible study group, usually at a Christian families’ home. This time on Friday nights never ceased to be a time to relax and feel at home away from the academic and psychological pressures that come with being a fulltime student. It was not always easy to make those small group meetings, but after each one, I returned home with a genuine sense of rest, refreshment, and peace. The spiritual satisfaction I gained caused me to keep going back each week; I felt empty when I didn’t. Whether meeting on campus or in a families’ home, being with other Christian believers revived and preserved me while at UCI.
