Students in the Real World, 1-QE

• Reflect on your childhood and early education. Even then you were living in the "real" world. What were some of the challenges that you had to face? How did you face them? Did you deal with them as a Christian, and if not, what would you have done differently if you had been a Christian? What Christian counsel would you give to a child or someone who is just starting school?

• Reflect on the differences between this period and the previous stages of your life. Have you taken on greater responsibilities? What are they?

• Consider the changes and the additional responsibilities that you will face in the next stage of your life. What might they be? Will you be passing on from fantasy to reality, or will there be significant overlap in the issues that you must address?

• How did the previous stages of your life prepare you for this period of your life? How are you now preparing for the next stage of your life?

• To begin with, why are these stages and periods of your life defined by external factors and by society, such as childhood, school, vocation, retirement, and so on? Is there any justification for this? Is there something that is constant in your life, or something that proceeds on a different schedule?

• Is there an overarching principle or purpose that guides and unites these different periods of your life? What is it? In what way are you governed by this overarching principle, and in what way are you governed by these stages of life (school, career, family, retirement, etc.)?

• How would a non-Christian answer these questions? And what would you think about his answers? If you conclude that an unbeliever's reply can only end in futility and despair, how does your faith make any difference? Is the difference only psychological, or is it of greater import?

• If you are not a college student, modify these questions so that they apply to your present situation, and then try to answer them.