Going away to college is a lot of responsibility.

As a college student, we’re responsible for getting up on our own.

We have to go to class on our own.

Some of us have bills to pay and have to cook for ourselves, and that is all of our responsibility.

The biggest responsibility I’ve had since being on my own, away from my family, is taking responsibility for my faith.

See, I grew up in our church back home.

Ever since I can remember, I was in Sunday school on Sunday mornings.

I was in all the children’s choirs at church and attended all the church functions with my family.

I went to church because some of my best friends were there. Being at church was fun, and it was always a place I felt at home.

I moved into the youth group program when I entered junior high and I was at youth group every Sunday night from seventh grade until I graduated from high school.

For the past three summers, I’ve even worked at the church as the youth and children’s assistant.

In high school, choosing to do what I wanted with my faith was up to me, but there were day’s I just didn’t want to go to church, I wanted to sleep in, but my parents pushed me to keep going.

It’s just been a part of my life. It’s the norm, and it’s what I’ve been used to.

Then, I came to Baker and realized that it was all up to me.

I remember my first Sunday at Baker, and realizing that my parents weren’t making me get up and go to church.

No one was there to make me read my Bible or to say a prayer before I ate or before I went to bed.

My parents weren’t there to make sure I was making decisions that were moral.

It was all my responsibility.

It was up to me to go to chapel on Thursday.

It was up to me to surround myself with friends who believed the same things I did.

It was up to me to take on this huge responsibility.

Out of all the responsibilities I’ve had since coming to Baker, this has been the biggest one.

It’s all been up to me, and I’ve learned a lot from having that responsibility.

While learning about personal finances, how to do my own laundry and cook for myself are all important skills to have, my faith is one responsibility that I will learn the most from.