I followed Christ fervently from the time I was a child, but when I started at the university my relationship with God began to fade. Among other things, I fell into sexual immorality.

Recently, I came back to God and earnestly asked Him to forgive me, but what I did continues to haunt me…. I have a deep sense of guilt and feel unworthy of going to church or even saying that I am a follower of Christ…. I don’t know what to do. I’ve never talked about this with anyone. I hope you can give me some advice.

Dear Friend,

As you probably know, many young people make unwise decisions during their university years. It is a time when they are finally out from under their parents’ supervision and they are able to make some of their own decisions. However, it is also the time when their brains are not completely developed and they are therefore not fully prepared to consider the consequences that will come from the actions that they choose.

University students who may have been followers of Christ for many years are confronted with different worldviews and intense peer pressure. Multiple philosophies and lifestyles compete for their attention. Professors often teach their own opinions and viewpoints, even when those are not part of the subject matter.

The fact that you took a detour in your journey of following Christ is unfortunate, but you found your way back! You were lost, but now you are found! The Apostle Paul taught that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.”(1)

You are not the same girl as the one who took that detour. When you asked for forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, He not only forgave you but wiped away all your sin. It has been erased like marks on a chalkboard.

Each one of us is a sinner. None of us deserve to call ourselves followers of Christ. You are no different from me, and I am no different from you. We are both forgiven! Don’t waste another moment trying to examine those marks that were erased from the chalkboard.

When you go to church or meet other followers of Christ, be honest about the fact that you lost your way for a while. The important part of your story is not how lost you were, but rather how God found you, forgave you, and made you a new person.

We wish you well,

Linda
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1 2Co 5:17 (NLT)