The college commandments: Thou shall not waste thy youth

The Cobblestone Community Church filled with wise words as lead pastor Andrew Holzworth spread the word of Christ like butter across the warm, crisp morning air of the church at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15.

Holzworth stepped out on stage with Proverbs 9:10 on the screen behind him, reading, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding,"

"Would you have worshiped the way you did if Jesus was right here?" Holzworth said, motioning to the space next to him.

He explained how just this week, there were days he forgot Jesus was alive. He had been treating Jesus as though he were dead, and that the words of the Lord were there to remind us of his lessons.

Holzworth turned toward the audience and told them he would be inviting Jesus into the sermon today, because he is alive and well. Many people dropped to their knees and began to pray.

Many people, myself included, don't align themselves with an organized religion. Even though I have no religious affiliation, I am going to different church services around Oxford in hopes of a spiritual awakening to improve my college experience.

Every religion has something to offer in terms of knowledge and wisdom about the meaning of life.

So, why not check out a few pews around town and take a shot at seeing the big picture?

We're told that Jesus died and rose from the dead. That today he lives on in order to guide and help those who are lost.

What does it mean to be alive?

There are days every week that I forget I am a living and breathing person. Days where I wake up and start my morning routine, which turns into my daily routine and then finish off with my bedtime routine. I wake up the next day only to start all over.

We're taught that following routines keeps us organized and on track so we can remain efficient and be successful. These same routines also have a habit of allowing me to just go through the motions. The bare minimum of living and getting by.

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In college especially, it is easy to get set in a schedule once we find one that allows us to get everything done in the easiest way possible.

The problem with this is that staying on track isn't the same thing as staying alive.

"I feel like having a routine makes me present, because I'm just doing the things that I need to do that day, but I'm not living or going out on a limb," said sophomore Hannah Matthews.

Most college students fall into the age range of 18-22 years old. In other words, we're super young.

Why do we hold ourselves back from taking risks and spontaneous actions in our day to day lives, and instead allow ourselves to be consumed by the fear of what lies outside of the routine?

Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Is the fear of spontaneity and failure the beginning of our dedication to our planners? Have our books of scheduled events that lie stuffed in our backpacks become our own personal bibles?

Self-discipline and working hard to achieve your goals is amazing, as long as you don't look back in 10 years and remember the exact time your alarm went off every Tuesday so that you could get to Starbucks on time, so you'd get to class on time and get your assignments in on time. So you can live your entire day, week and month on time.

"If I could put my hand on you and pray for all of you, this would be my prayer; Jesus," Holzworth said as he ended Sunday's sermon.

In other words, let Jesus reveal himself to you and be present in your life.

In my words, let adventure reveal itself and be present in life.

If I could have one wish for myself in college, it would be this: Live.

wolffrg@miamioh.edu