Not that anyone needs reminding, but the semester ends in six days, six glorious days. Of course, most of us still have projects, papers and exams that must be completed first.

But nobody wants to talk about schoolwork right now. Just listen to the conversations around campus, and you’ll quickly discover what everyone does want to talk about: going home.

Going home for Christmas break is going to be different for me this year because this time, I won’t be coming back. That’s right—I’m graduating in less than a week. Of course, that means that between shopping for gifts, attending holiday parties and watching Christmas movies, I’ll have to be job-hunting and resume-tweaking.

But I’ll worry about that later, after I finish worrying about how in the world I am going to fit my entire life from the past three and a half years into my car.

It hasn’t really hit me yet, the fact that I’m not coming back. My theory is that it will hit me when I log in to Facebook on Jan. 6 and all my friends are posting about heading back to BJU … and I’m not.

It’s going to be weird next semester (I wonder when I’ll stop thinking in “semesters” and start thinking in “years” again) when I don’t come back—when I don’t have to scour the Internet for textbooks or write six syllabi into my planner, when I don’t have to make sure I have dinner plans every night and swipe my ID card before meals, when I don’t have to trek to the Collegian office every night to work with some of the most awesome people I know. It will definitely be different.

Even though it seems like ages ago, I vaguely remember having some of the same feelings about leaving high school. I was sad to leave my friends, glad to be done and anxious about the next stage in my life. The transition from high school to college wasn’t easy either, but the Lord got me through it.

When I first arrived on campus, I knew only three people at BJU. As I pulled up to my residence hall, the first person I saw was one of those three people. He had no idea when I would arrive, but God did, and He put him there at that exact moment to help me move in and reassure me.

A few days later, I went to pick up my textbooks from the Campus Store. In my bag along with my books, one of the employees had put a chocolate bar along with a note saying she was praying for me as I started college. It was just one more sign from God that He would take care of me as I made that transition.

And He did. I’ve made some amazing friends during my time here. I’ve learned so many life lessons, not just academic facts, from godly teachers much wiser than myself, and most importantly, I have grown in my relationship with Jesus Christ.

My Father guided my steps all the way, as I know He will do now as I make another transition. No, I don’t know yet exactly what I’ll be doing after I graduate, but I have peace knowing that the God of all things controls my little life too.

So, fellow December graduates and even those who will be graduating in May, we don’t have to worry. Yes, we should actively plan for our future, but as children of God, we have the privilege of being able to be “anxious for nothing.” I know you’ve heard it a thousand times and will probably hear it a thousand more over Christmas break, but it’s one of the truest statements you’ll ever hear.

To those of you who have a little longer before that next step, know that God still has many lessons to teach you, and be looking for them. And when it’s time to come back after break (I know, I know, no one wants to talk about that either), know that you have lots of people who are praying for you, including this former Collegian editor.