What do we put first?

If you know anything about the world of video games, you'll know that Halo 3 was released Monday night 12:01am at stores nationwide for the mad rush of people to go and buy and stay up all hours of the night playing. I am happy to say I wasn't one of those people, though I did join in later in the day Tuesday for some 4 player co-op and LAN multiplayer action. The game had record breaking first day sales with I believe over 2 million pre-ordered copies already before the night of release. The numbers are staggering to think about.

After seeing the passion with which these people talked about the game before it came out, went to all lengths to get the game (standing in line for hours at Gamestop/Best Buy/Wal-Mart), and stayed up all night to play it, it makes me wonder what they really put first.

I find it hard to put God first sometimes. I'll say I love Him, I'll say He's more important to me than anything, I'll talk the talk, and everything... but I still question if I'm really putting Him first. I mean, I don't even spend 10 minutes everyday with Him outside of prayer. I haven't kept a consistent Bible Study. It seems many times I go to Him or refer to Him only when I have some need or problem, like God is only there to work for me and give me stuff. I get concerned about myself and I work to try and fix my attitude and question my heart.

And then I look at these people, whose lives at some times seem to revolve around fun and games and pleasure of that nature. They may kid about being obsessed, but I don't because I take it seriously sometimes. I think it goes without saying that where we put our time is where our hearts are. Sometimes when I've spent way too much time doing something very selfish or wasteful, I say to myself "well, I know I would give it up if I had to for something more important. I'd give up all video games in a heartbeat for God." Thing is, since I don't have to, I don't ever, and these desires of mine always take precedence.

Maybe this doesn't apply to you, but I can guarantee that if I asked my group friends two nights ago to, after purchasing the game, come back and do a 10 minute devotion or prayer beforehand to show that God is more important than a game, they would look at me like I was crazy. It's a sad reality, but it's true nonetheless. And it's not something we can go around condemning of other people either, it's a realization that comes from within each person. I've realized it, and I'm committed to putting God first above all my other desires, a commitment I know I'll have to repeat over and over each day for the rest of my life as I work to put God in control of my life.

Changes

Despite the fact I've been in college for about 3 1/2 to 4 weeks, I have yet to really blog about the changes and the transition that has taken place in my life. So I shall...

I'd like to say I didn't expect any of what has happened, but I'd be lying a whole lot to myself and to everyone else if I said that. I expected the Christian atmosphere, the great friendships to come, the tough classes (Calculus II) and the real easy ones (Learning+Transition), and the more relaxed yet more efficient schedule and framework of classes. Those things I expected and eagerly awaited before I came here.

But, as with everything, there were plenty of surprises; the largest one being how well I've managed at being on my own and taking care of my own responsibilities in and out of the dorm. I was probably more nervous about this aspect than anything else about college as it approached. And now, not a month later, it's like second nature. Marching band has also been a lot different and a lot more challenging than I expected, but I am really glad (so far) that I have joined, though our band has yet to march for an audience.

The spread of diversity on campus is something that also truly caught my attention. And I'm not talking about race, though there certainly are many different ethnicities. Spiritually, people are at all different walks with God. I see many strong Christians, but I also see many who look almost as distant from God as people from my high-school. I guess I should have expected that not everyone here would have a true relationship with Christ, but perhaps I wished that was the case. It opens up the mission field not just to the community surrounding the campus, but to the campus itself. It is encouraging to know there are people struggling as I am, there are strong people that can help build us up, and there are also weaker people who I myself have the ability to encourage and aid.

Honestly, I'm very grateful I am where I am. At points there are bad influences and things I know I shouldn't be around, but I know it is nothing compared to what I would be faced with at your typical college. Certain things I've heard and discussed and been informed about have really opened up my eyes to what college could be like for me right now, and the vision is not a good one. Some would say not being around that stuff makes me ignorant, but honestly I'd rather be ignorant than getting into or being around something damaging. I'm beginning to realize more and more why God called me to Geneva, and it gets more clear everyday.

All in all, God has really blessed my time here thus far. I can't say that I've grown more in these few weeks than in my entire grade school education, but I can say I have definitely changed and learned a lot. I couldn't have asked for more from Geneva, or any other college for that matter. I think I'm going to like it here these next few years.

Oh yeah, and the food is quite good too. Imagine that. Well... most days that is.