As a girl who is now going through her second year of college, I know how challenging it can be to remember where your faith should be placed during finals week. As the semester comes to a close, we are running around constantly, just trying to keep our head above the water. The pressure of doing well on the tests is at its all-time high due to worrying about receiving the grade that you want/need in the class. Your professors are harping down on you about how important it is to be studying. You are having to recall back on information that you learned 16 weeks ago. It is easily one of the most stressful parts of the year. What many of us forget, though, is that God is faithful even in the most stressful times. The Lord has a funny way of revealing Himself to us when we are at our lows. But, we can fail to see His faithfulness and goodness if we are only putting our attention to our school work. What happens when we cast off God and only focus on our academics is that we become defined by our performance. Our identity is all of a sudden found in how well we perform in a class. We equate our worth, success, and self-esteem to something so temporary and fleeting. There are two possible outcomes of doing this:
You will do good in your classes, get the grade you want, and feel accomplished for maybe a couple of days. However, eventually the "high" of the success will fade. You will realize as you "come back down" that you haven't looked to God in days, weeks, or even months. That feeling should cause you pain if you're a follower of Christ! Or, maybe you don't realize that right away, but as you are on break and you do not have school work to focus on anymore, you realize that you have nowhere to put your identity. Where then will you find your worth?
You do not achieve your goal. Maybe you fail your final or even your class. This will leave you feeling defeated. More than likely, your first reaction will be to blame yourself, which then will lower your self-esteem. You will feel as if you have no identity, no worth, and no value. Where then will you look?
Sisters, I want to remind you that this is not how God called us to think or live. Rather, the Lord tells us that He alone should be our confidence. Jeremiah 17:7 states, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and have made the Lord their hope and confidence." He doesn't say that our confidence should come from the Lord when things are going well. We are to have this attitude always. He also tells us that our identity is found in Him and the work that Jesus did on the cross, not ourselves or any of our works. What's scary about putting hope in yourself and your abilities is that somewhere along the way, you will fail. We are imperfect humans; we are bound to fail. Even if you never fail, you will never reach the point where you feel enough for yourself. You will never feel validated by your works alone. There will always be a next step; something greater to achieve. That feeling is exhausting.
During this time in college students lives, this is a trap that is so easily to fall into. I believe that that is no coincidence. Satan knows where we fall short and he attacks us in those places. Therefore, since he knows that we have a tendency to find value in ourself and in this world, he will really try to use this time in your life to bring you down and take your eyes off of the Lord. But I have good news for you all: our battle is already won. Satan is unable to overcome the Lord, the Lord already defeated him! Trust in that today!
The Lord desires to know you. He cares about what you are going through, therefore he cares about your schoolwork right now. I can promise you that He does not want you to feel like a failure. He knows we fall short and that is exactly why Jesus had to come into this world and die on the cross. We are not failures, rather we are conquerers through Christ, our savior. I'm not saying this to tell you that you will pass all of your classes with flying colors. Even if you do remember to keep your faith in the Lord, you still might fail your finals! (Not to be a debby-downer!) But, I can assure you that if that does happen, you will still feel fulfilled through the Lord. He is faithful and will bring that to fruition in your life! My prayer is that if you read this today, you will be reminded of the love and security that can be found in the Lord. He has not left your side. Look to Him! Find your faith in Him, not in yourself! Unlike any ordinary human, the Lord will not and cannot fail. He makes no mistake. Lean into Him and His word during this time! You are almost to Christmas break!! Keep pushing through and finish strong! Love you all and happy holidays! ♥
Ephesians 2: 3-10 ~ "...among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--- by grace you have been saved---and raised up with him and seated with him in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
love this!!!!