College??

Well. Samford it is. I know I seem horribly indecisive for changing where I am going to attend college this fall at pretty much the last minute, but if I could describe my entire nature or state of being in one word it would probably be indecisive. Saying that, now that I'm officially registered and it's all set in stone, I'm nearly positive that I made the right choice. Because maybe I really wasn't all that indecisive. I think this is what I wanted to do all along.



It was kinda hard for me to change my plan so suddenly. I already told everybody that I was going to The University of Montevallo as an English major, so once I had a plan the idea of backing away scared me. When I started my college search, my choices were Samford and Alabama. There was a lot about Samford I loved, but part of me just wanted to get away from the "Christian Circle" I had isolated myself in and just experience the world for what it truly was, whether for the good or for the bad. However, after visiting the school formally, I realized that Samford isn't one of those exclusive Christian schools as I perceived it to be. They were open to anybody, and did not reject people based on religion as long as they did not corrupt campus life with immoral things. And even though I will always support the Crimson Tide, I quickly realized that UA wasn't the school for me. I don't want to attend a big university where it takes me a whole year to learn my way around, and I'm nothing more than a number in a crowd. So even though I always said I wanted to go there, I ended up not even applying. In order to keep my options open I also visited North Alabama and Montevallo. UNA was nice and seemed like a great place to go to school, but I knew I wasn't ready to move three hours away. So I visited Montevallo and I loved it. The campus had a very similar feel as Samford's but without that high of a price. At this point, I didn't really allow myself to think about Samford because I was too consumed by the cost.



So Montevallo was my choice. English would be my major, simply because it was the best I could come up with. I was content and mostly happy, but I never really got excited. But over time, little things kept popping up pointing me back to Samford. At first I ignored it because my decision was made, but it got to the point that I didn't even want to go to Montevallo at all. Nothing about the school seemed appealing anymore, because I knew that Samford was what I wanted. But as I suspected, cost became a burden.



My life seemed meaningless, and I felt incredibly unfulfilled. I did everything in my life half-way because I never wanted to put any time and effort into it. And at the very top of this would be my life as a Christian, a follower of Christ, and a disciple to many nations. I claimed Christ in my life, but I didn't go out of my way to show it. I've always been a pretty good kid. I don't drink, do drugs, sleep around, or swear excessively, but that does not show anything about my character. I can't explain exactly what happened, but I've recently made a commitment. I want my life to be a living representation of the Word of God. I believe that faith is not only our belief in God, but it's also a verb. I want to put my faith into action. Sometimes we become to consumed by the concept that works do not save us, that we forget our Christian duty altogether. I truly feel that God has called me into His service in some way. Not to say that I'm supposed to become some form of minister or travel across the world spreading the Word(although I would love to do that), but I think that God wants to use my life to further His kingdom. And I believe that my time in college would be a great time to figure out exactly what that entails.



There are a lot of reasons I'm choosing Samford. It's a school with great academics, and a very prestigious university that I have been blessed with the opportunity to attend. It has a beautiful campus placed in the city I know and love. Also, I feel like the staff at Samford actually took the time to get to know me. As much as I hated writing the essay and doing the resume for admission, I can now appreciate that they had a desire to know me on a personal level. The admissions department sought me more than I sought them. My recruiter called me on a regular basis to see if I needed help with anything, and I actually grew comfortable speaking to him. That was an experience I didn't have from any other school I looked into. I've never really felt wanted or that I belonged anywhere before, but I feel like Samford is where I belong and they actually want me to be there. I know this sounds cliche, but it seems more like Samford chose me. It's a nice feeling. But if I could narrow my final decision down to one thing it would be God's will in my life. For so long I held this resentment against God because it seemed that he was ignoring my requests and I didn't sense his guidance in my life. But now, for once, I'm pretty sure my life is heading in the right direction. Samford has so many mission opportunities I plan to get involved in that Montevallo just didn't have to offer.



So even though I had to give up my fantasy of moving away to college and having that true "on campus" experience, I am very pleased with the decision I made. I can't even consider giving that up a sacrifice, because I am still blessed immensely. I have this amazing opportunity lying before me, and every day I get more excited to see what God has in store for me.