Sending kids off to college can be a bit intimidating in a world where faith if often rejected and ridiculed. How do we encourage our kids to keep faith when they are no longer following our rules? Here are a few ideas to share with your child!
- Find a local church– join and have consistent fellowship, and meet others your age and who might also be students.
- Choose the right friends. This is so true at any age! We need to be a light in the world but we also need to set boundaries and surround ourselves with positive influences. Though college is a great way to have exposure to new people, cultures, and ideas, remember to be wise in selecting your closest friends, who are faithful individuals who share in your values and hold them deeply. You will be assets to each other throughout the school year and be able to help yourselves out of a lot of life’s challenges as God moves through you.
- Find or start a campus ministry – Starting a whole campus ministry on a campus that might not have one is a big undertaking, but it can start small. Arrange weekly bible studies with friends on campus and and as it grows you can incorporate worship and before you know it, you are being a vital instrument for God at your college. There are plenty of resources out there that give great tips on getting a college ministry going. You might be able to graduate college having left a huge impact that will last after you are gone.
- Fill yourself up. It’s so important to remember to look at what you are filling yourself with, from movies, to books to activities. Pure Flix offers a wide variety of Christian Movies and shows streamable to many devices that college students use that are varied, inspirational, encouraging, entertaining, and guaranteed to help with keeping the faith in college.
- Set personal goals and rules. Dedicate to reading your Bible at the same time every day to keep your faith top of mind even when college life starts becoming a daily hustle and bustle. Stay pure by only going on dates in group or public and not making the temptation greater by inviting someone back to your dorm room.
- Have the hard conversations. The church hasn’t always been good at having the hard conversations. Don’t be afraid to have open and honest conversations with your children about the hard stuff. You want your home to be one that is a safe place to return to and a place they think of when they want advice for getting through difficult moments.
- Care Packages. Make your own care packages that include faith-based things or subscribe to a care package like SoulFeed.
- Pray. Keep your kids covered in prayer.
Sending our kids off into the world can be scary. While we know we are raising them for the moment they leave, we want to continue to influence them in positive ways. We’d love to hear how you are encouraging your kids to stay strong as they fly into the world