"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

The life of a transfer student can be rough.  When you transition from your comfortable, small junior college to the dog-eat-dog world of a big name university, you're in a completely different atmosphere where it's hard to get to know people. In that new world it can be easy to give into the fear of the unknown or the fear of remaining unknown. Or to compensate for the fear you can become proud and selfish, like I did.

God put you on that campus for a reason.  He doesn't want to harm you, as the scripture above reinforces, but to stretch you academically and spiritually. So try not to make the same mistakes I made when I transferred. Remember that God is in control and has great plans for you on your new campus.

When I transferred to the University of California, Berkeley (Cal) in Fall 2001, not only was I changing schools, but I was also leaving behind the ministry where I was born and raised spiritually.  At first I was excited with the newness of it all; I was ready to take on the new adventure and accept whatever challenges would come my way.

However, my enthusiasm quickly faded and I spent a good part of that semester with the wrong attitude. I was comparing Cal to my old ministry. I became very critical and refused to see my need for friendships. I was new and wanted to be given to, not give to others.  So I decided that my heart would always belong to my friends in my former ministry no matter how long I was at Cal.  Eventually, my stubborn heart became bitter and hard. I was doing horrible spiritually. I became consumed with evil thoughts: Why am I here anyway? I don't belong here. I should have stayed home. I hate it here.

It wasn't due to a lack of effort from the other disciples that prevented my relationships from growing; it was my own unwillingness to invest my heart. The disciples had been trying to fold me into the ministry, but I wanted to blame them for my misery. It was my own selfishness that was preventing me from building deep, spiritual friendships that only God's family offered.  I was blinded to God's plan and dreams for me at Cal.

It was so hard for me to accept the fact that God wanted me there. What I didn't know was that God was using the transition to expose my proud and selfish character. I saw that I needed to submit to God's will and that my resisting only made things harder. I eventually wore myself out and, finally, after kicking and screaming, I stopped fighting. I decided to be open and honest with my new friends, I prayed a lot, and then I made a decision to give my heart. 

As a result God has blessed my submission. I've developed great friendships that I never had before, found my niche here, and am glad to say that I am part of the great Cal ministry. God has been so faithful, despite my rebellion. He has encouraged me with new friends from my dormitory who have come to Bible talks and have studied the Bible. He has also shown his power by helping me bring two visitors to Women's Day, my roommate and another transfer student.

Transferring can be an ordeal. It's not the new people that you meet or how ready your heart is to move that is key, but your faithfulness in His plans for you that matters most of all. It's important to be content with His plans for you. If you resist, you are only going to tire yourself out.  So don't make the same mistakes I made. Just remember, in a battle between your way and God's, God always wins.