In 2020, I attended a gospel conference that would change my life. I was with a friend when a banner reading “Covenant College: In All Things Christ Preeminent” caught my eye. I was nervous but ended up speaking to the professor in my poor English about the college. I thought to myself, “I could go to the United States of America! I could go to a Christian college!”

You might wonder why this was such a big deal. Growing up, I always looked up to the West as the place where dreams become reality—a place with historic values, traditions, and most importantly, Christians with generations of Christian heritage. I am Malaysian, and to have institutions that profess Christ’s name and instruct biblical truths remains a dream for Christians in my country. I remember laying in my tiny fifty-square-foot bedroom pleading with the Lord to open the way for me, and He answered.

Although it was difficult to leave my friends, family, and local church, I came to Covenant full of anticipation and hope. I was ready to take it all in, grow immensely, and mature as a believer in Christ. However, the picture of growth that I had in mind looked a lot different than what the Lord had in store.

My first few months at Covenant were indeed magical. It felt too good to be true to be learning with fellow believers at a place committed to putting Christ before all else! But, as the weeks turned into months, I started noticing differences between my faith and the faith of the believers surrounding me. Of course, there were obstacles such as language barriers, cultural differences, and more, but I realized that those were not bothering me as much as the differences concerning practices of the Christian faith.

As this struggle began to extend to every area of my Christian walk, I wondered if my idea of unity in Christ had been naive. It bothered me how my peers seemed to take for granted the value of learning under faithful professors who poured their hearts out, teaching the wisdom and truths of the Bible. Outside of class, students seemed less interested in serving the local church than my peers in Malaysia. Consumed by these frustrations, I began to desperately seek out deeper, genuine relationships with my peers. However, at the same time, my own weaknesses were being pointed out to me, whether I liked it or not. I noticed how I was caring more about academics than relationships, and I began to see how uncaring I had become by being legalistic and judgmental.

Through these experiences, I realized that all along I’d had my own prejudices. God used this burdensome time to show me the beauty of His Kingdom. In order for me to love my neighbor well, I had to humble myself. I had to let go of what I had determined Christianity should be and trust that the Lord was working among His people. I see now how the Lord was forming me in ways I could not have imagined. I’ve come to know my Savior and His great love for me and for believers of all backgrounds and cultures.

God has used Covenant to heal me of my blindspots and preconceptions, and He has done so through fellow believers. We are living in a time where the global Church is growing rapidly. What better time to learn how to love one another as iron sharpens iron—especially in our differences. Let us live lives that show that the heavenly Kingdom playing out on earth is not just an ideology, but a Reality, for we have one Saviour who bought us with His blood and made us one body—the body of Christ Himself.

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