With the beginning of spring semester quickly approaching, I’m going to let you in on a little fact about Sarah: I hate school. This fact isn’t a college discovery for me either. I have consistently hated school for as long as I can remember. There are many times in my early teen years where I would be sitting in my room crying or at the computer crying because I couldn’t figure out a math equation or how to solve a chemistry problem. Since I have diagnosed ADHD, I have to study about ten times harder then a lot of my friends to succeed in school. Don’t worry, this post gets more positive...just stay with me.
When thinking about how I struggle with school, a bible story comes to mind. It’s the story of peter walking on water towards Jesus. I feel like this passage describes my battle with school so well:
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:27-31
Peter was terrified to step out of the boat and walk on water. Of course who wouldn’t be? I know I don’t wake up in the morning and think hm. today would be a good day to defy the laws of gravity. But still, Peter said hey Jesus, if it’s you, tell me to come. So Peter has faith and gets out of the boat and walks on water. Then he looks down and has a moment when he realizes that he’s walking water and begins to sink. It’s right at that moment that God pulls him out of the water and sets him back on his feet.
That’s how my semesters go. They start out in an ‘I can do it!’ phase where I have faith that God will carry me through and will help me. Then I get about half way through the semester and I lose faith because I get a bad grade on a test or paper and I begin questioning why I’m in school and if I can get a call to a congregation with out a degree (I’ve looked into it...you can’t). Then when I feel like I’ve drowned, God pulls me out of the waters that is school and shows me that I can do this and makes me question why I ever doubted him.
I gave a talk on this bible passage every Monday over the summer and this is a concept that I needed to be constantly reminded of. So if you, like me, struggle with school or really have any other struggles take hope. God is always with us. Which is an incredible concept. We may have a lot of other people come and go in our life but one is always consistent. And that is the father who loves more than anyone else.
So no matter what our struggles are, God has got us. Somewhere along the way we will lose faith and think, God, where are you? Then right as we think we’re done for, God pulls us into his arms and shows us that he never leaves our sides.
As I go into this spring semester I won’t lie to you, I’m terrified. But this fear and struggle is one that I’m ok with. I know that I will still have to study ten times harder then everyone else to do well but I find peace in that because I know that God has got me. And since he has got me I will succeed.
Told you this would end on a happy note.
No comments:
Post a Comment