Guest blogger - Lauren Penny

So, it has been exactly one hundred and seventeen days since Maria asked me if I would like to write a blog post….one hundred and seventeen.

Quick fun fact about me: my favorite hobby is procrastination. I really am good at it. For the past one hundred and seventeen days, I have made excuses such as “I’m so busy” as I lay in my bed watching an episode of criminal minds. A couple of times I have even started to type a post and then decided I had nothing worthy enough to share. Last night, as I was lying in bed, Maria’s blog slipped into my mind and the procrastination began to itch.

I eventually came to the realization that I had been avoiding writing this for one hundred and seventeen days because I have lost the identity that I had for so long found in Christ. From the moment that I came into the world, my parents began to build my life around the church. They taught me discipline, showed me love, and helped me to build a strong foundation in my faith. I was surrounded with the love and support of so many strong believers who never let me lose sight of God. I was constantly reminded that he is so good, so strong, so powerful, and so loving.

This fall I began my first semester at the University of Mississippi, leaving behind my family, my friends, my church, and my dog. The change of scenery was overwhelming and the wave of responsibility hit me hard. The life that I left in Gulfport had been pushed aside and my new identity was ready to be found. Without even realizing it, I began to drift away from the foundation that I had set in my faith. I had begun to lose sight of the goodness and the light, and I focused all of my attention to the worldly desires set before me. These worldly desires came to focus, and I had no parents or church to hold me accountable—this one was on me, and let me just tell you, I fell for the trap. I consumed myself with the temptations and habits associated with “the best four years of your life” and I formed a new identity for myself based off of my new friends, my sorority, my major, etc.

As believers, we are called to be a light; we are the hands and the feet. A question that has been running through my mind for a solid 13 hours now: As I meet new people (as you do Every. Single. Day. in college), do they see Christ in me? If the answer is no, I am for sure doing something wrong. The opportunity to shine God’s light on a campus as big as this one is unbelievably huge. When I meet someone new, I want them to feel God’s love, goodness, and light through me. I want my words and my actions to s c r e a m “HE IS SO GOOD”, and I want for every person I come into contact with to know this is truth.

Lucky for me, and also lucky for you, it’s never too late. Today, tomorrow, next week, anytime can be the time to re-write our identity and live for Christ. Our God has open arms, and he is always there waiting to help us build our foundation. The book of Matthew says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to the whole house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.” My challenge for you, as well as for myself, is to put Him on the stand.