Five Scripture Passages Your Teen Should Take to College

If you are the parent of a young person headed off for college in the fall you will discover that those lazy days of summer are really the days when you start planning what kids need to take and what they need to leave behind as they head off to begin their four year adventure in education. As a parent you will want to be sure that your teen is packing all the essentials, the things that will help them to feel comfortable, content, relaxed and happy as they venture into a whole new world. So buy that ridiculously expensive comforter that they simply have to have, make sure they have a computer that's ready to rock-n-roll, but if your family is Christian, don't forget to tuck in a copy of Holy Scripture and mark these 5 citations from the New Testament that may be the spiritual and emotional first aid kit your young person will rely upon the most.

John 14: 1 When young people go off to college for the first time or even if they are returning to campus for their second , third or even fourth year, they do so at the expense of leaving their comfort zone, home. While there are undoubtedly conflicts that arise between parents and their college aged offspring while they are living under the same roof, not feeling the immediate comfort and protection of that roof can make every problem encountered in college seem twice as difficult to handle.

Many college students find it very difficult to deal with even small problems at school, at least initially, because they don't have that safety net of family to rely on. They come back to a dorm or apartment and no one offers them a slice of pie or a sympathetic ear. It may take months before enough trust has been built up between your son or daughter and the available roommates to allow for even marginal unloading of concerns . Those first few months can really be emotionally challenging especially when students are shy or withdrawn or just aren't used to making new friends.

As that process proceeds, it can be very helpful for a young college student to take a moment a read this single sentence from the Gospel of John.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God and faith in me . " In John's Gospel, Jesus speaks these words of consolation to his Apostles when the hour of his crucifixion and death is approaching. They face a great sadness and when they need his comfort the most Jesus will not be there with them to see them through it all.

College students can certainly commiserate with the Apostles. They too feel as if being away at school, perhaps for the first time, is a huge and painful experience. The Apostles must have felt, like your college student will, that everything was about to change. Life must have seemed fearful to the Apostles just like it does to first time college students. Instead of vainly looking for help to get through the tough times by using alcohol, drugs or sex as an escape there is another possibility. One of the five scripture passages teens should take to college, helps to comfort students and remind them that as in every other difficulty their faith and the Lord are there as a support and guide.

Matthew 7: 12 Going away to college generally means being barraged with a whole new collection of young people. Some your teen will immediately like and feel drawn to, while others will just as quickly turn them off and leave them cold. The thing about college is, that even at the larger institutions you can't really hide from the people you dislike and only see the ones you enjoy. College is a community and, unless your teen plans to transfer,its their community for four years. So how does one manage in a community where not everyone suits your personal tastes?

If among the five Scripture passages your teen should take to college you include this one from Matthew, he or she will have a ready made plan to work through conflict situations in class, in the dorm, on the athletic field, or socializing . "Treat others the way you would have them treat you: this sums up the law and the prophets." It also sums up how to get along when you are placed in an environment where not everyone is a good friend. While your teen may have heard this golden rule many times growing up, its truth and effectiveness have not diminished. If your teen could only read one passage in the midst of interpersonal problems while he or she is away at school, you really might hope it's this one.

Mark 6:31 Among the five scripture passages your teen should take to college this one from Mark may be the one they really think they don't need. But for those who have gone through the trials and tribulations of first semester life it will sound truly like divine wisdom. After the disciples of Jesus had been out sharing the good news of salvation in the surrounding communities for some time, they came back to him physically and mentally exhausted. When Jesus recognized their condition " He said to them, Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little." The Apostles needed to remove themselves from the daily routine of proselytizing that had so wearied them. They could go back to their spiritual task refreshed but to do so would require that they physically remove themselves from the pressing crowds and just rest for a while.

If there are two things that many college students seem to hate they are removing themselves from the crowd and resting. College students want to stay where the action is and they don't want to miss out on anything that might be going on. And certainly college students often believe that they can miraculously function on next to no sleep.

When your teen goes through a few weeks of all night gab fests or studying and you can tell he or she is really played out then reminding your teen of this citation from Mark might help to convince them that rest and separation from the pack are really great remedies for a jangled brain. Life will continue without them its true, but life will also seem much sweeter when you come apart a little and get the rest and peace your body craves.

Luke 9:23 No matter how well prepared your teen is for college socially, financially or academically there will be difficulties along the way. College, after all is not paradise, it is just a unique subdivision of the larger world and as such it is full of its own series of trials and problems. That's why it is really important that when you select five scripture passages your teen should take to college you give serious consideration to this one from the Gospel of Luke. "Jesus said to all: Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day and follow in my steps. "

A college student might not necessarily thank you for reminding him or her that college can have its downs as well as its ups. There is so much hype surrounding the college scene today that some students think that college really is meant to be one big party with no responsibilities and only marginal concern about academics. When they recognize the truth, they may well be helped to recover from the shock by remembering that being a Christian, even a Christian away at college is not meant to be a 24-7 good time.

It's possible to have a roommate that really is annoying. Maybe a professor is just impossible. Getting a horrific cold or stomach flu can take the joy out of joyville. But when you take out this citation from scripture you remember that Christ called on his followers, no matter where they were or what they were doing, to pick up their cross and follow him. For sure Jesus picked up a literal wooden cross and carried its crossbeam to Cavalry but there are crosses in the life of every student that also can be difficult to bear. Feeling united with the suffering of Christ while dealing with your own small problems can really lighten the load and help you to put things in perspective.

Luke 8:39 In Luke's Gospel there is a very interesting story in which Jesus encounters a demoniac, one who is possessed by demons. After Jesus miraculously cures the man, the greatly relieved man wants to stay with Jesus . But Jesus says " Go back home and recount all that God has done for you."
In this story of healing Jesus is likely using the cured man to send the word of salvation out to more people back in the village and hopefully to fill them with faith. Jesus wasn't just looking for another person to travel around with him and marvel at his accomplishments. In a sense Jesus was making the cured demoniac into a local apostle, sending him out among people he knows to spread Jesus' message.

Students going away to college eventually get over the initial hurdles that every Freshman faces. When they do, sometimes they forget what and who they left behind. They become, and rightly so, very involved in their new life, their new friends and their new plans for the future. It's all right for parents to include among the five scripture passages your teen should take to college, one that reminds students of the importance of sharing their blessings with those who have made those blessings possible. It's important and surely a Christian thing to do, for college students to return home and share with those left behind all the good things that have happened through God's blessing. Telling others, if nothing else, helps students to remember to be grateful themselves for all that has come to them through their parents, their extended family , their community and God's blessing.

Going away to college is a major life event. In Christian families , it is also a time to make sure that your teen isn't going off to college without the support, love and companionship of Christ. So pack up the new colorful comforter, but then don't forget what may turn out to be the greatest comforter of all, five scripture passages your teen should take to college.