The Unlikely Friendship that Helped Grow My Faith

December 5, 2021

Inter-Varsity

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By Ashley

University Student

This past summer I had the unique opportunity to work with a fellow university student, not in the context of school, but side by side, five days a week for eight hours a day, doing quite mundane and repetitive tasks. Not once was I bored, nor did I ever dread having to go to work. While I liked working outside, I was mostly excited to go to work because of my growing friendship with someone I doubt I would have connected with at school.

Growing Trust

Having university in common provided a starting ground for conversations and eventually we developed a relationship where we could both ask questions or share our thoughts, opinions, and experiences with no fear of judgement. We talked about many things, from what was going on in the world to our personal relationships. Eventually, I felt comfortable talking about the Gospel and sharing my faith, not something I typically do with someone who doesn’t know Jesus. Over time, we had deeper conversations about faith, church culture, and even the challenges of being a Christian student at a secular university.

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Faith Steps

Because of this friendship and other things I’ve been learning through InterVarsity, I recently decided to be baptized. Baptism was something I grew up hearing about and often saw people do. I even considered it for myself a few times, but there was always something keeping me from going through with it. Had I been baptized earlier in life, I think it would have been because all my friends were doing it and not because
I genuinely wanted to.

Before I started university, my faith was defined by what others around me had to say and by what I was told to do. But at university, I connected with the InterVarsity fellowship on my campus and I began to explore Jesus for myself. I learned new ways to see scripture and relate with Jesus. Most importantly, I experienced God’s love through people.

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Glimpsing God

Earlier this semester, I shared my experience of my unlikely friendship with some of my InterVarsity friends. This ignited a spark and I began to get excited about sharing other experiences with people God places in my path. Now baptism is the next logical step in my relationship with God. I want to declare publically that I’m choosing to live my life for Jesus. I saw a glimpse of what God can do in others when we choose to share how He is moving in our own lives.

God continues to challenge me to step out of my comfort zone. More than once, I have been given opportunities to do things that I never thought I could. God has given me the strength and confidence to go so much further than I thought possible.

Whether it’s sharing my experiences in my campus fellowship, serving at church, or just navigating life, I’m choosing to believe that in everything God is moving, whether I can see it or not. If you asked me a few years ago, I never would have imagined this is where I would be in 2021. Without God, none of this would be possible.