College Reflections                                                                                                  2008.07.06    Joseph Ho, Stephanie Chang  

College Reflections – Joseph Ho

I’m sure that most of us either own cameras or have had our pictures taken at one point or another in our lives. These pictures end up in attics and albums, frames and computer files, but whenever we open these up, we’re instantly transported back in time to the moment the shutter clicked. All those birthdays, graduations, weddings, baby showers, family trips, embarrassing moments; they all come back to life, in a strangely realistic way. Whether you know it or not, whenever we take a photograph, we’re capturing a moment in time – preserving it for memory and for posterity.

  Why is it that humans have such an innate fascination with time? What we often overlook is that our God – the Creator of both humanity and time, things material and immaterial – placed this within us as yet another way of manifesting His power. As Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” – and in 3:14, “Everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.” Just as we capture segments in time in our photographs, God shapes our lives through decisive moments – all woven into His utterly sovereign, flawlessly holistic plan.

You might think about this in terms of puzzles; when we put together puzzles, we often look only at the brightest, most eye-catching pieces. However, it’s often the mundane-looking or ugly bits of cardboard that are key in constructing the “big picture.” So it is with our lives. College, for many of us here today, might be the eye catching piece of our lives so far – it’s a time when the world seems manageable and ideal, fun and exciting. As a result, many college students look to graduation and leaving school with fear and anxiety.

However, when we look at life, beyond college or otherwise, with the mindset that we are loved and looked-after by a God who is beyond time, who actively knows and plans for us a million steps ahead, then there really is nothing to worry about. All these puzzle pieces that make up our lives come together as one indescribably unique and perfect picture. It was designed that way! Above all, we must look back to the greatest “decisive moment” of our lives, the instant at which Christ gave His life for us, and know that this moment defines all that we are, and all that we will be. It’s then that we can truly grasp the meaning of Ecclesiastes 3:11: “God makes all things beautiful in its time.”

College Reflections – Stephanie Chang

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Stephanie Chang and I’m going to be a 4th year college student at the University of California, Irvine. I grew up in Walnut Creek and had been attending CCGC since I was in 4th grade. God has greatly provided for me as I have made new friends, found a new church, and a new community down in Southern California. Before I went to college, I heard that it was going to be a challenge to continue to maintain my faith. I understand now what that challenge meant. For example, it is often a huge temptation to sleep in on Sundays instead of getting up and going to service, especially if no one is around to keep you accountable. Therefore, for the first two years of college, I was very focused on making sure I was living out my Christian life. I went to Bible studies, I did my daily devotions, and I attended all my small group meetings. However, aside from simply going through the motions of a “Christian” life, God challenged me to look deeper into what it means to live that life.

Ephesians 5:1-2 tells us that as children of God, we are called to live a life of love just as Christ gave up his life as a sacrifice for us. God has greatly humbled me in college by teaching me that living a Christian life is not about fitting into a religious mold, but rather, having the heart of Christ. Jesus came to earth and lived his whole entire life in service for others. Even up until his time of crucifixion, Jesus was serving his disciples as he washed their feet as a way to show his love for them. In college, I’ve realized that God’s love for us is unbiased and eternal and unbeliever or not, He will still love us. And He proved that with the sacrifice of His son. Therefore, in a response to His love, I have been able to take the opportunities that God has given me to actively serve both my unbelieving friends and the body of Christ to the best of my ability and live a life of love.