“When I graduate and go out into the real world…”

I hear this sentence from college students all the time. Throughout our lives, we have been told that life truly starts when we graduate college and get a “real” job.

I don’t like it.

By calling our post-college life “real,” we are insinuating that our time at college isn’t real. It is. By the time we finish our 4(ish)-year college experience, we have been in some form of education for at least 16 years; that’s a decent chunk of our lives. God willing, these 16 years will only be only the beginning of the rest of our lives.

I understand the phrase “the real world.” I’m sure I’m guilty of having used it dozens of times throughout my life. We think that our lives will become much more demanding when we are juggling a full-time job, a family, and any other responsibilities we may have at the time. When we have these types of responsibilities, we can’t press snooze and just skip our day to binge on Netflix and scarf down an entire tray of Oreos. I’ll definitely miss that luxury after college.

Life in college isn’t all Wawa runs and laughter, though. If your life is anything like mine, you know that difficult things don’t wait to hit you when you are done your education. You deal with a number of personal issues while you are trying to get your degree. There are genuine real struggles we will face while in college, and real opportunities for ministry and growth.

I don’t want us to cheapen this time we have been given. Spoiler alert: our time at Cairn IS part of the real world.

While you are a student, you can get involved in the surrounding Cairn community. You can become a member of a church, serve in various ministries, make friends with the neighbors, meet people in the local Redner’s (RIP Bottom Dollar), smile at the guy waiting at the bus station, and get an off-campus job or internship. You can make a difference in our little Langhorne world, even while pursuing your degree.

But here’s the thing. Even if you stay lodged in our safe little Cairn bubble all four years, you are STILL in the real world. You have the opportunity to get involved in campus groups, befriend a professor, go to chapel, adopt a group of friends into a Cairn fam, and make silly memories you’ll tell your future children about.

This is a fun and important time in your life.

While you are a student here, you are preparing your mind and your heart for what is to come after graduation. You are making decisions about what career you want to pursue, what you are looking for in a spouse, where you may want to live, and how you can serve God using your talents and gifts. This is valuable and a part of your real world.

Don’t spend so much time looking forward to the future and life after graduation that you neglect to truly enjoy this stage of your life. Open your mind and heart to what Cairn can offer you, and what you can offer Cairn. Be a vital part of the Cairn community. Learn more about yourself and more about God. Treasure these moments.

Because Cairn IS the real world.