I skimmed that article and I, too, thought the college students at Third provided a counter-example.  As for me, I began college a non-Christian and was living college for myself.  That meant pursuing a college degree for economic gain.  In high school I had a postcard on my mirror with a picture of a Malibu mansion on the waterfront and three hot sportscars in the driveway.  The text on the postcard read, “. . . justification for a higher education.”  That sums up how I began college.

Thankfully, into my first year of college Christ intercepted me.  Though my Christian growth was slow, too slow, I realized that the message of that postcard could no longer justify my own college experience.  Financial gain could not satisfy the deepest longings of my heart.  For me, this journey ended with a call to pastoral ministry a few years later.  For others, the pursuit of a career in mathematics, economics, law, homemaking, sports, medicine may be exactly how God has designed them.  Either way, if Christ is not our ultimate goal, our chief end, narcissism is inevitable, isn’t it?

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