I was involved with Navs the last couple years of college, but that wasn’t my initial plan going in. I came to school just wanting to do my own thing. Washington State University is known as a party school, and I got into all the kinds of trouble that came with it. It wasn’t until my junior and senior years that I started to take my faith more seriously.
Then, just before I graduated, I was invited to move into the “Nav House” in Seattle. In college, I went to Christian events, but I never really connected. No one in my friend group was a believer, and no guys in Navs were part of the Greek system. I was running in two different circles. Now, I live in a house with eight guys who know what it is like to live out their faith and encourage each other (we are all reading through the Bible right now), and I get to watch and learn from them every day.
One of the biggest lessons has been learning how to have “gospel conversations” with people in the workplace. It turns out that being curious, asking open-ended questions, and just paying attention make it pretty easy to recognize when someone might be open to talking about the Lord—even during the simplest of interactions! Talking about faith is not something I have to push for, it’s an opportunity the Lord gives me every single day.
One of the biggest challenges has been figuring out how to spend time learning and growing in my faith without abandoning my old friends. I was taken off guard recently—and learned a huge lesson—when one of my oldest, closest friends told me, “You’re not the only one who has grown up.” This was a wake-up call for me. Just because I’m taking my faith seriously doesn’t mean I have to leave behind my non-believing friends. Instead, it’s been an opportunity to witness and display the transforming power of the Lord.
My encouragement to you: Find a community that’s constantly seeking the Lord, and invite others into it. You will be amazed by the fruit that follows.
Resources
Here are some of my current favorite reads/plans:
- The Bible Recap Bible App
- Any CS Lewis book—I’m currently reading The Great Divorce
- My Utmost for His Highest—A great daily devotional
