My journey with God started from a very young age. I was baptized as a baby and raised in a loving Lutheran family. I attended preschool at All Saints Lutheran Church, which would become the church I attended for the next 18 years of my life until I graduated high school. I found comfort in attending Sunday services and Wednesday confirmation programs, but my relationship with God was never spiritually rich.

After being confirmed my freshman year in high school, I reinvested my time in the church and became a junior guide in the confirmation program. As a junior guide, I led weekly bible studies and mentored a group of six boys from the start of their confirmation experience in seventh grade to their confirmation freshman year. I grew in my faith and knowledge of His word, while developing the patience and the love for people who may not have the same zeal for God.

The turning point in my faith manifested from a series of events throughout my senior year of high school. That winter, I suffered my fourth concussion. After graduating, I began questioning my next steps in life. These experiences led me into seasons of sadness, questioning, and waiting. I entered into a season of doubt, just in time for my fourth concussion to occur. As you may know, concussions become significantly more severe with each subsequent injury. My fourth concussion took me out of sports and left me mentally exhausted and irritable. I became frustrated that my only method of healing was rest. As I began to heal, I graduated high school and believed I had exited the dark tunnel into the light; I simply felt invincible. However, not so far into the summer, I felt as though I lost everything. All that I had done in high school— the achievements, the leadership, the grades, the relationships, the sports, the friends, the volunteering — all those things I invested myself in and those things that gave me a foundation seemed to vanish. I questioned whether all the dedication and time was worth it now that I felt so empty. I began to think about college and the big transition that would take place. What is my purpose now? Is college really for me?

I spent the summer before my freshman year investing in God’s word. I sought answers to all the questions that spun around my mind. I met with my youth pastor, Kristine, and branched out to talk one-on-one with older adults in the congregation. Through these conversations, my perspective began to change. I realized I didn’t need to have all the answers; I just needed to believe in God’s plan. I realized that putting my identity in worldly things would only support me as long as they could stand. I learned that putting my identity in God would never fail me. God is eternally sustaining He may not act according to our desires, but His plan is bigger and better than anything we could create for ourselves.

My freshman year of college has taught me that I need Christ in my life more than ever. College is crazy and temptation is ubiquitous, but Cru is my safe haven. Cru reaffirms that I do not need to worry or question and teaches me how to live out each day in the image of Christ. As I grow closer to Him, I look forward to sharing His amazing grace with others. I want to glorify him in all I do. Phillipians 4:13 says it well — “ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”