For some people, college is a time of “sowing your wild oats”, and for others, it’s playing Settlers of Catan & Bananagrams in your campus’ coffee shop because there’s not a whole lot else to do on campus and you don’t party and/or aren’t allowed to. That’s right—I’m talking Christian College, BAY-BEE!

I went to Christian college. And let me say this—dating in Christian college is a nightmare. The best way to put my dating experience in Christian college is that the odds are good, but the goods are odd. During my time there, I was involved in a couple different committees on campus, one of which was “care group”—a secret campus committee that helped make sure people weren’t struggling with depression, and got them the help they needed.

I was the male head of the group, and there was a female head. We were friendly to each other, and would talk to each other in passing in the coffee shop or at dinner. One day she texted me asking if I could meet up with her. I said “Sure!” because I figured that it was something about care group. I was working on art for campus in the girl’s dorm lobby with some people for creativity committee (because as we all know, Christians and church people LOVE committees), so I told her to meet me there. She came into the dorm lobby, and seemed concerned about something. She asked if we could go to the other side of the dorm lobby and talk, so I followed her to the couch on the other side of the dorm lobby like a lamb to the slaughter, unaware of what was coming for me next.

I sat down, thinking she just needed prayer for something hard she had just dealt with, since she started the conversation with “I’m so thankful for you, because this has been such a hard semester…” she trailed off for what seemed like an eternity, until she finally says, “…and last year was such a hard year for me with guys, but I really feel God calling me to open myself back up to dating relationships again.” At this point, I realized EVERYONE in the dorm lobby was staring and eavesdropping at her and I (including her friends who had magically appeared in the dorm lobby doorway), and I was starting to realize this conversation wasn’t what I expected, now with an audience. She continued on to say, “…and with that said, I know that God is calling me to date you.”

I stared at her in an awkward silence for 30 seconds, feeling ever second slowly ticking away for what felt like forever, watching everyone staring at me / waiting for my response, and all I could come up with was “huh….well…….I guess we can be friends…?”

She proceeded to run out of the room crying to her friends in the doorway, they all glared at me as if I had just field goal kicked a puppy, and I went back to painting, as you do in such circumstances.

Suffice to say, I’ve never heard God call me to date any specific person (namely her), but maybe I wasn’t listening since I remained single until 29, and went on plenty of dates after going to Bible College. 
(In all honesty, however, I loved what I learned at my alma mater Lincoln Christian University, the staff there is amazing, I still have amazing friends from my college days, and I would recommend the school for anyone wanting to get a solid Bible education.)