Freshman Reflections From Belmont UniversitySample

Day 1 - Faith
Faith. It’s a tricky word. At this point in your journey, you may not even know what you believe or if you have a faith. You may have a strong faith. You may have been disappointed by your community of faith back home. You may be questioning your faith now that you are on your own for the first time. You may have already decided that faith, that Christianity, isn’t for you.

All of us come to college from different places. As you begin your time at Belmont, I want to challenge you and I want to encourage you. First, I want to challenge you to take time to think about your faith.

Don’t just keep doing the same old thing without taking time to really consider what you believe and why. As your view of the world expands and you are thinking about all kinds of things in a new way, think about how your faith will impact your life. Think about God’s work in the world and how that might have an impact on who you are called to be. Ask hard questions, find wise friends and mentors, and don’t be afraid to allow faith to shape who you are becoming.

I also want to encourage you. When we read today’s scripture passages, we get the picture of a God who is always with us. Hold onto these assurances, these promises of God’s presence with you—in good times and in bad, when you make wise decisions and when you don’t, when you think that you know all the answers and when you have nothing but questions.

God is faithful. God will be with you—you can put your faith and trust in that.

REV. HEATHER GERBSCH DAUGHERTY
University Minister