Finals are upon us! In the midst of studying, downing lattes, and mini-dance sessions, no one has time for anything but school. A friend of mine commented on the atmosphere on campus after walking through the library and seeing not a single chair open or a table free. No matter what our majors, no matter what our extra-cirriculars, and no matter what our friend groups, we are all unified in finals.A few reminders during this busy time have been on my heart.
First comes God. As I'm preparing, I will seek His will. As I'm studying, I will seek His attributes. As I'm becoming more burdened, I will seek His peace. As I'm interacting with others, I will seek His Spirit. As I'm working, I will make time for His presence. I can do nothing apart from Him!
Seeking the Lord means striving for His heart in all I do in order to glorify Him. My roommate and I had a lovely conversation in which we both realized how the Lord is calling us to go about finals. Since we are both entering into a new chapter of life next year regarding school (I'll be starting at ACU and she at A&M's nursing school), our futures are set. As far as this semester's classes go, all we technically have to do is pass each class with a grade of C so that our credits will transfer, and since both of us have worked hard this far, our grades are not dependent on our finals (thankfully). As we were both studying and focusing intensely, the question of why came up. Why are we working so hard? Why are we striving to have the highest outcome possible regarding grades? The answer came easily: to glorify the Lord in everything. The Word tells us to do everything we do to the glory of God, whether we eat or drink or whatever we put our mind to. We both acknowledged that He has allowed us to come this far to finish strong. He blesses us with the gift of education. His character is in being productive and diligent, so why would we settle for anything less?
Ever year I am reminded why I am in school. I am on this earth to glorify God and in college to pursue a degree. Every summer I am reminded that, though I may not be taking classes, I am still able to learn, and because I am so blessed by the gift of being able to retain knowledge, I should not waste it. We should constantly strive to know more about life because it helps us relate to others and our world around us. Learning pushes us to be more literate in all areas.
One last point and I will wrap up (because we all have studying to get back to!). The Lord has blessed us all with the gift of learning. If we actually stopped to think on how many people want to learn and are unable to, I think our entire perspective on school would change. I will not take education for granted because it is a privilege denied so many. In the past I have complained and whined. I have chosen laziness. I have given up becoming more literate because of my selfish complacency in society and my lack of desire to learn in order to serve others more. College has taught me there is a balance to find in investing in relationships and also devoting time to studies. I have learned commitment is vital. I have learned to find God in the learning, which is truly a beautiful realization. Every action we perform is meant to follow the nature of God in order to glorify Him more.
Study hard, but don't forget to study the One who loves you most for purposes bigger than any university could ever prepare you for.
