What College Has Taught Me

Three years of college have taught me a lot of book knowledge, but possibly the most important lessons it has taught me are those regarding life.  I hope these lessons will stick with me long graduation fades into a distant memory. 

The world is full of hurting, broken people.

So be that listening ear.  Be the one that walks the long way to your car because someone is pouring out their life story to you.  Be the shoulder to cry on when life is tough for your fellow classmate.  Be the one that shares class notes with the person who missed a class when they were without childcare.  Smile kindly at the person who took your favorite seat.  Everyone is fighting their own often unseen battles, so spread God's love and grace when and where you can. 

Not everyone believes the way I do, and that's okay too.

They are still precious in God's sight and I should treat them as such.  I don't condone hanging out with bad influences, but you may be the light God intentionally sets in someone's path.  We can agree to disagree and still have respect for each other and our differences. 

You don't have to believe everything someone tells you.  

I was taught things in class that are contrary to the beliefs I hold.  But you know what?  It is so freeing to know I don't have to believe it just because they say it is true! What is true for someone else doesn't automatically have to be true for me too.  Others are entitled to their beliefs and I'm entitled to mine as well.  If that means remembering something only long enough to regurgitate it on a test, so be it.  Recognize it for what it is and then move on.  

Grades are important, but they do not define you.  Many grades are not representative of what you know.  You can be taught how to be a safe nurse, but you can't be taught how to be a caring nurse.  School can teach you how to start an intravenous line, but it can't teach you how to listen compassionately to a patient's fears surrounding the placement of one.   

Enjoy the journey.  Like everything else, "this too shall pass," so make the most of it through the joyful and the difficult seasons.