Don't waste years of study

The numbers don't really grab my attention, although there are about 21 million students in American universities and colleges. I'm more interested in the significance of this period. The important conclusions that integrate life, the goals that define the path, and the energy that inspires are often found and rooted in this crucial stage of life.

The terms «teenager» and «adolescence» did not always exist. They are creations of the modern world. «Adolescence» and «teenage» as life stages are 20th-century inventions, born of changes in mass education, child labor laws, urbanization and suburbanization, mass consumption, and the media. Similarly, in recent decades, a new, distinct, and important life stage has emerged in our culture, situated between adolescence and adulthood. This stage reshapes the understanding of self, youth, relationships, and commitments, as well as the various behaviors and dispositions of young people. This new state of life has been variously referred to as «extended adolescence,» «youth,» «adult adolescence,» «young adulthood,» «twenties,» and «emerging adulthood» (Christian Smith, Getting a Life).

With the emergence of a new stage of life, defined not only by age but also by cultural expectations, peer pressure, educational demands, economic hardships, and a media-defined sense of self, the likelihood of wasting this time is very high.

Finding understanding, purpose, and energy

When I say "waste," I don't mean simply wasting time on excessive leisure. I'm talking about the failure to find an understanding that truly integrates life, a purpose that consistently provides direction without harming one's conscience, and the energy that sustains one's life to the end—and beyond. This failure is the worst waste of student life.

The understanding that integrates life. The purpose that guides life. The energy that empowers. For millions of students, these components are being formed during this period. If they are misaligned and remain constantly in a state of exaltation, there will be no landing on Mars, let alone a return. The little spaceship of life will be thrown off course, surrounded first by many breathtaking views, and then by endless night.

What is this understanding, purpose and energy?

• Life-integrating understanding is the discovery that God's word, the Bible, is the only true and absolutely reliable wisdom for shaping all of life.
• The purpose that guides life is the realization that the glorification of the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ is the purpose of all things.
• The empowering energy is the discovery that daily dependence on the gracious power of the Holy Spirit is the key to lasting fruit in life.

Yes, God is merciful, and many people make these discoveries later in life. I praise Him for that. But it's amazing how many millions set these metrics forever in college and graduate school—for better or for worse.

Prayer for a Great Awakening

I recently read "You've Got Libya: A Life Serving the Muslim World," the autobiography of Greg Livingstone, founder of Frontiers. It's filled with life lessons, faith-inspiring, hope-inducing, and tells the story of a fateful moment in college when a young, visionary George Verwer said to an aimless Greg Livingstone during a prayer for the nations, "You've got Libya.".

The world will never be the same. The fact that God took these two students and used them to create two huge missionary forces—Operation Mobilization and Frontiers—is a testament to how important the student years are.

I thank God that He captured my mind and heart during those years. Between the ages of 18 and 25, my metrics were set. What a blessing that was! The source of all-encompassing understanding, the purpose that guides without regret, and the inexhaustible energy—not mine.

And what a privilege it has been to watch God bless great student ministries—CRU, InterVarsity, Navigators, Campus Outreach; conferences like Passion, Urbana, CROSS, and countless Christian schools. And now I rejoice in the opportunity to reach thousands of students through desiringGod.org and to serve as Chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary—an unexpected gift that completes my life.

By 2025, it is estimated that there will be 262 million students in higher education worldwide. Pray with me that God will bring a great awakening—an understanding that truly integrates life, a purpose that gives direction without regret, and an unstoppable energy for all of life—and beyond. May the Bible, the glory of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit become the dominant realities for millions of students.