When we leave the comforts of home and are faced with the harsh reality of the world, what is it that we lean on?
The true nature of college is to enjoy, explore and expand. We are faced with new challenges and brought into new situations in which Mommy and Daddy are no longer there to make the decisions for us.
As a new “adult,” it is up to us to decipher what is good and bad, right and wrong, as well as the dos and don’ts. With that in mind, we come back to the question at hand; where do we turn?
Let’s face it — whether you like it or not, your parents or the people who raised you have had some legitimate effect on the way you act and what you believe. For about 18 years of life, they have been the ones who, for many of us, have acted as our external conscience.
On the days when we did follow the rules, it was mostly to please those in charge of us, and on the days when we broke the rules, it was usually to tick off those who ruled over our lives. Don’t get me wrong — I love my parents and thank God for them on a daily basis.
But, ladies and gentleman, it’s time we grow up and make decisions on our own.
To be specific, how about focusing on what types of religions or spirituality people turn to? It’s a fact that many of us attending MSU have grown up in the Bible Belt of America.  So chances are the majority of you reading this article have most likely been in a church or introduced to some form of faith throughout your lifetime. Even if you did not live here, you probably come from some type of faith background as well.
Believe it or not, we live in a society that is extremely spiritual. Whether that spirituality is in one, all-powerful God or in the power of the natural world around us, spirituality is a basic thought and desire for many today.  Most people turn to religion in order to find something to gain, something for themselves.
You see many who lie in hospitals, awaiting the sting of death, calling out to God to save them, even if they have never even spoken to God before. 
Some turn to science while others turn to religion. Where did it all start in your life? When did you decide this is what you wanted?
For many of us, myself included, we grew up in church. The love of the Christian God and His power to save has been something many of us have always known and understood. But what happens when that just becomes an understanding?
It is easy to “trust” God when we are living at home with our parents, going to high school and maybe working a part time job. The true test begins when we step away from our comfort of family and face the real world.
David Brooks, pastor at Nettleton United Methodist Church, once told now sophomore Molly Riley, “Just because you graduate from high school, doesn’t mean you graduate from church.”
He could not be more correct. However, because we are no longer children, we should also be compelled to grow in what we believe. Truth is, there are a lot of beliefs out there.
The incredible stress on “finding religion” is very prevalent in the world, especially in times of need or distress, such as college.           
If we have been taught something our entire lives, does that automatically make it real to us? Someone tells you that there is sand at the beach, but you don’t really believe it until you experience its grittiness between your toes.
This goes for anything you have grown up thinking to be true. You cannot believe the message of the Bible until you have experienced the mercy of God, just as you cannot understand the concept of evolution versus creationism until you have studied what each represents.
This article is not to convert anyone, nor to condemn any way of life at all. It is simply a challenge. As you struggle to find your identity on a campus of over 17,000 and in a world of more than 6 billion, I challenge you not to simply rely on what you have been taught your whole life. Search out the things you have always believed to be true, and decide then if it is truth.
Your parents cannot live your life and decide who you will be. Search yourself and find what is real to you. I pray that your search leads you to a firm truth that you may never waver from.
 
 
 
Sarah Ulmer is a sophomore majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].