Mackenzie Norman

Maybe you’ve heard of the infamous “freshman 15,” the extra 15 pounds of weight you gain in your first year of college. The unlimited dining plans, inconsistent exercise, back to back all nighters, and late-night trips to Walmart for snacks eventually take their toll, and you undoubtedly stand on the scale a little heavier than usual, if not the full 15 pounds worth. 

Since I lived in the mountains and hiked to my dorm multiple times a day, I actually lost about 15 pounds my first year of college. But no matter which way your freshman 15 swings in the physical realm, it still isn’t as concerning as your weight in the spiritual realm. Just like our physical weight tells us something about our physical health, so our spiritual weight tells us something about our spiritual health. And in the words of my campus minister, 

“You should be F.A.T.” 

In fact, our BCM Freshman Leadership Team was called just that. The F.A.T. Team. It stood for Faithful, Available, and Teachable. I can attest to the fact that your faithfulness, your availability, and your teachability will all be tested your freshman year. And regardless of whether or not you’d consider yourself a leader, these are three spiritual disciplines that are important for any believer to cultivate. They are some of your spiritual muscles, and the more you exercise them, the more they increase in size and mass.