Some of the college students being tortured…err…playing games during the university retreat.

This weekend my wife and I were up in Oklahoma with a group of college students at a retreat.  This is an annual event and each year I am struck by how mature and spiritually minded these young adults are.  The college retreat is one of the most enjoyable events I attend each year because I don’t have to “supervise” I simply encourage, uplift and am edified.  It is amazing the difference that a few years can make as high school students transition into the college years.

There are several observations that I have made as we have attended this event through the years…

• More mature than I was.  Having spent a lot of time with college students through the years I can say that these “kids” are more mature than I was at their age.  The depth of understanding that they have about life and spirituality is pretty astounding.  Of course they still have room to grow, but they are well ahead of where I was at their age.  Some of this has to do with the fact that kids grow up quicker than they used to, but it also says a lot about their spiritual rooting in the word.

• Maturing faith isn’t an accident.  It is no secret that young adults are leaving the church at a higher rate than ever before.  Numerous blog posts, research papers, and books have been written on the subject.  The clear factor in failure is that faith was not made real at home.  Parents didn’t lead spiritually and allowed kids to flounder in a Sunday-only faith culture.  When Satan is knocking at the door 24/7 we can’t expect our kids to have a maturing faith if we don’t feed their souls every day.
• Mutual encouragement.  Most of the folks at the college retreat are part of a campus ministry.  The majority are at state colleges where local churches have made a purposed effort to reach out to students.  Everyone at the retreat recognizes the importance of spending time with peers who are working through the same issues and emotions.  We could all use a little more time with people who are striving to get to heaven.
• Importance of rest.  I have always appreciated the laid back schedule of this retreat.  The schedule is dotted with times for lessons and singing but includes large pockets of time for relaxing, hanging out, and having fun.  Getting away from the grind of daily issues is very necessary no matter what age you are.

I have quite a few more observations but I’ll leave you today with this question.  A few years later where will you be?  I am constantly amazed by the transition that some of these young adults make in just a year or two.  Amazing change isn’t limited to young adults and kids though.  We can all make massive changes in our lives and our homes with purposed decisions and efforts.  I appreciate spending time with these wonderful young adults and the reminders they give me of the importance of what we are doing with our children right now.

One of the greatest things we can do with our kids is study the Bible with them.  It doesn’t have to be a huge endeavor or anything fancy.  Just a few minutes in God’s word is the whole point of the Dinnertime Devotional series.  I hope you’ll join with us as we continue with our study of the life of Joseph… Dinnertime Devotionals 14