It's pretty common to hear people talk about their college years as a life-changing experience. After all, college is a time when people go out on their own for the first time and take big steps in figuring out who they are. That was the case for me.

When I graduated from Missouri's Hannibal-LaGrange College, I was very different from who I was when I first stepped foot on campus. Most of the major changes I've seen in my life are because of the specific opportunities I found at a Christian college.

There were many differences between the pre-college Tara and the post-college Tara. Here are three of them:

When I started college, I was what you'd call a "baby Christian." I hadn't been a devoted Christ-follower for very long and my Bible knowledge was limited. I'd tried to read the Bible but I just didn't get it. I thought the Old Testament was confusing. I didn't understand all those laws, rituals and sacrifices. I didn't see how any of it applied to me, except for maybe the Psalms and Proverbs.

Because I didn't get the Bible, I had no interest in even trying. However, among Hannibal-LaGrange's required general education courses was Old Testament I. I would never have taken this class on my own—being required to read the Old Testament every day was the last thing I wanted. But that class opened my eyes. I began to see that God instituted the laws and rituals as a way to show people his holiness.

Other courses throughout my college career made God's Word come alive in ways I would have never discovered on my own. As an upperclassman, I took classes in analytical Bible studies using tools such as Bible dictionaries, concordances and other references. My professors challenged me to go beyond the surface and look for the deeper meaning of a passage. And the amazing thing was: I learned how!

The post-college Tara enjoyed reading God's Word because now, I understand it better. And as my appreciation and understanding grew, God gave me a real hunger to read more. Yes, I do forget to read the Bible some days, but I try to be consistent. And no, I didn't become an expert. But when I experience trials or need direction from God, I can turn to his Word and have an idea of where to look for guidance and how to view Scripture's meaning. I also understand how the Bible and the words of Jesus connect with my daily life. It's not an old book of hard-to-understand ideas—but it's a living light.

The pre-college Tara was pretty sheltered. I grew up in a rural Illinois farming community where there wasn't much opportunity to interact with people of different backgrounds, worldview, ethnicity or beliefs. Everybody was pretty similar and I was comfortable in this "bubble." That all changed the day I started college.

Never before had I been surrounded by so many people from so many different backgrounds. I studied algebra with a student from Zimbabwe. In literature class, one of my friends was from Panama. I met other students from the Caribbean, Canada and almost every state in the U.S. We had different experiences, different views of the world and, yes, different accents.

Of course, I could have experienced this diversity at a secular college, but at a Christian school there was a difference: These people all shared my faith. We were different in many ways, but we all followed Christ. This realization challenged me. I had to let go of preconceived notions or misunderstandings of different views and cultures. I had to understand that not all Christians have the same political views or the same interpretation of Scripture and doctrine. I had to broaden my view of what a Christian is. I really learned to understand 1 Corinthians 12:12-13: "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink" (NIV).

In the midst of the diversity, I discovered every person had something to teach me. I heard from new friends about persecution they'd faced for their faith living in their home countries of Africa and China. Professors with scholarly backgrounds taught me truths from Scripture I'd never heard. And I learned, thanks to a college trip, how worship services in Mexico look different from those at my own church.

The post-college Tara had a better—and wider—understanding of the world. After just four years, my view of the world was a little broader and my understanding of Christianity a whole lot bigger.

Before college, I loved the Lord, I knew he'd saved me, but I hadn't invited the Lord into every part of my life. Really, I had faith in Christ but I didn't live it. I didn't make all my decisions based on what God wanted. I listened to music and watched TV programs that didn't honor God. People wouldn't have been able to know I was a Christian by the words coming out of my mouth. And my attitude toward friends or teachers in high school was not very Christlike sometimes. Basically, the pre-college Tara just didn't understand that God wanted every part of my life—all the time.

When I got to college, I noticed something different about my classmates. They weren't perfect, but they lived out their faith in ways I didn't. My roommate spent time with God every day and talked about giving her daily life over to God. I didn't get it. But within weeks, she invited me to a weekly Bible study that changed everything. By studying and sharing with the other girls in the group, I made a real commitment to let God have control of every area of my life—in the things I watched and listened to, the words I spoke, and my overall attitude.

This experience taught me that God doesn't expect us to carry this commitment on our own. He created us for community. I wouldn't have given God the hidden parts of my life without that Bible study group. What's funny is that before arriving on campus, I didn't have any idea that having Christian fellowship and support was important. In high school, I wasn't a regular church member. I went to my parents' church often but I could never call it home. I didn't have many Christian friends. And honestly, I never really thought about it either. But at Hannibal-LaGrange, I found the value of having Christian friends who could encourage me and push me when I didn't want to read any more of my Bible or get up early for church. It was very exciting to be able to share with my friends in the dorm or in class about all of the new truths I was learning. And, I found that they were just as excited to share with me what they had been learning.

These friendships and my Bible study did a lot to mature my faith. Soon, though, I discovered I was very hungry for the preaching of God's Word, too. Together, my new friends and I visited different churches every week until we found one we felt God calling us to. During my four years in college—and attending the same church—God helped me see the need to live for him everyday, showed me strong models of how to do it and surrounded me with people who kept me accountable.

Those four years set a pattern for how I try to honor God with all the parts of my life everyday. No, I am not perfect. But now, I understand God is calling me to give him every part of my life—and I try to do it each day. I still have my moments where I mess up like everyone else. But I did not leave Hannibal-LaGrange College the same as when I started. God used the school, its professors and students to help me become a whole new Tara—one who is more like him.

Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine.
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