Life Out There (Focus and Choices)
by Nadia Lawand (Oct. ’01)
No sooner do we get our schedule, books, and find our classes, then midterms are starting, papers are being written, and time is getting scarce. For many college students keeping focused on what’s important is crucial at this time. This is even more relevant with the thoughts of the tragic attacks on the United States dominating our hearts and minds. At a time like this we need to put things in perspective, and try to learn from these horrible events.
One of the most important things we learn as college students is that lessons are not only found in the classroom. Lessons are hidden in many different ways, and the key is spotting them and learning from them. In your house, on the street, in church, all around us, lessons are waiting to be discovered.
The chance to go to college is a choice that we have made. So it is up to us to make the best of this opportunity. Rather than passively going to classes and manually doing work, we need to pro-actively ask questions, search for answers and be active leaders. An important part of this is balancing our life. Between classes, church, family, and friends, time is of essence and a key in leading our educational venture.
What we make of our lives and education is up to us. God has given us all the resources in the world, therefore it is up to us to use them properly. God has also given us the gift to make choices for ourselves. As college students we need to really think about the choices we are given. It can be difficult to make decisions in such a complex society, especially with peer pressure, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Always keeping Jesus in our minds and our hearts will help us make the right choices.
We are the now of today and we need to take the most we can from all our experiences — even horrible acts of humankind — in order to be stronger, more spiritual Christian leaders in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. May all the victims of the horrible attacks on the United States rest in peace. God Bless America.
Nadia Lawand is a first-year university student (equivalent to a sophomore) at Concordia University in Montreal, specializing in Communications and minoring in Spanish. She serves as the NAC Teen SOYO Presidential Advisor. In her spare time, she owns her own communications company in Montreal called NadiaStar Communications, Inc.
