“Bloom where you’re planted. College will be the best years of your life.” If you’re getting ready to leave for school, you might’ve heard these phrases more than once.
This time last year, I was asked to share advice for soon-to-be college freshmen. I admitted then that I had spent the summer before my freshman year miserable and anxious, dreading the changes that were to come. I had heard these cliches one too many times. Still, more than most, I did not feel ready to leave Texarkana or start college. I spent my first semester wishing I was still home or that I'd done that gap year program or gone to one of the other schools on my list. Let’s just say I didn’t have the perfect start to college.
However, as I shared last year, Clinton, Mississippi—my college town—quickly started to feel like home. Before my first semester was even over, I recognized I would eventually miss this place and stage that I had dreaded.
And now, I do miss it. I graduated from Mississippi College in May, and, looking back after three years, I can’t believe how nervous and negative my freshman self was. Now that I’m on this side of things, I can assure you that you will eventually laugh at how intimidated you currently feel about the years ahead.
I also know you’ve heard this advice from anyone who has ever gone to college. You’ve already been told that you’ll bloom where you’re planted and that college will be the best four years of your life. And I know, right now, you’re focused on the next step, not the sum of the next four years. So, instead of telling you how worth it college will be, I want to pass on some practical advice I was given my last year of college–advice I wish I’d heard and trusted earlier.
It comes from a verse I’m also sure you've heard this year: Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord”—another piece of classic, often unsolicited advice given to anyone worried about change. This verse is true and can be encouraging, but it’s surrounded by a passage I find much more applicable.
The audience of this passage was moving into a new land for an unknown amount of time. These are God’s words of reassurance to a group facing similar challenges as freshmen: transition, uncertainty, and fear. God assures the people that he is with them, but he doesn’t stop there.
Because I am with you, he says, “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.” (verse 5)
Or in my case, Unpack your bags and open up; stop constantly looking back and try the crawfish. And wow, did 18-year old Delia need to hear that.
Even if you initially feel like you’d rather be somewhere else, you are where you are. Don’t wait. Don’t wallow. Decorate your room. Organize your closet. Invest in people. You might as well start as quickly as you can.
Even before your mind accepts the fact that high school is over and your college town is your new home, you can find purpose and joy in the transition.
I initially refused to accept the difficult move to my college town, and now I’m processing that my time there is over; I’m facing another transition. I’m currently working remotely in Texarkana, but I’m actively seeking job opportunities elsewhere. I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. In the meantime, I’m reconnecting with people in town, volunteering at my church, and enjoying my yoga membership.
I’m trying to take my own advice.
In Jeremiah, God reminds his people that their transition is long enough to matter and that the uncertain and scary time is meaningful. This is true of college, and this is true of my first-year post-grad. Wherever I am, I’m going to treat it like I’m there long enough to make an impact, to build relationships, and to try new things because I’ve realized there is no time to waste.
At the end of the day, I’m trying to bloom where I’m planted. Now, I’m constantly aware that these days can be the best years of my life.
