Hey friend,

How are you? If I had to take a guess, you are probably somewhere around midterm time and you are probably starting to get that palms-sweating-heart-racing-feeling of knowing that this semester is entering the full speed ahead zone. I know how you feel. I'm there too. It doesn't matter what year you are.You could be in that cake walk first semester of freshmen year, or you could be like me, a first semester junior who is just now getting into the thick of my major. Like I said, it doesn't matter what year you are. This time of year never gets easier. Up until this point, you may have been taking it easy, just kind of coasting through the past six weeks of the semester with not a care in the world. Then sometime last week, your professor reminded that you midterms are coming up. You panicked. You could be the total opposite end of the spectrum and have been doing great grade wise the past six weeks, and now that midterms are here, the pressure is on to maintain all of the hard work you have put in so far... but is it? Is it really?

This "pressure" we put on ourselves... It's just that. We put it on ourselves, all by ourselves. We don't need other people to do it for us, because we have this tendency of being so hard on ourselves that we find no need for assistance in beating ourselves up about where we are academically. We spend hours slaving over homework, projects, exams, papers, and I'm not saying this effort is a bad thing. One day it will all pay off. What I am saying to you, my stellar fellow college student, is that all too often, I find that we begin to identify ourselves by the numerical value that is placed beside the assignments we submit. If the previous statement was too much for you to understand because your brain is already fried from what you've experienced this semester, it's okay. No judgement here. What I'm saying is that we let our grades define us, and that should not be so. You are so much more than a 100%. You are so much more than an A+. You are loved and adored by the God who is in relentless pursuit after your heart and life. If He's brought you through a rough patch this semester, it's because He's waiting for you to give Him a "yes" to bring you back up again. He doesn't drive you to your knees in surrender to make you feel weak, stupid, or worthless. He does it for His glory. He wants to see you be driven up out of the mess you've been sitting in, and to see you look to someone else who is living the same life you once lived and say, "Hey. I know what you are feeling. Let me tell you about how the Lord delivered me, and how He wants to do the same for you."

Student, I am praying for you. I know college is rough, and sometimes you wanna cry, call your mom, and eat comfort food... but let me tell you something. There is no greater comfort or refuge than kneeling before the Lord in prayer, asking Him to carry your burden for you. It was never meant for you to carry in the first place. Our worries, burdens, and cares died on the same day that True Love did, that glorious day at Calvary on a worn down, wooden cross. So please, before you shed another tear over how overwhelmed you are, or how you think it would just be easier to quit all together, remember something for me, please. Your trials and difficulties are not meant for you. They are wonderfully crafted to point right back to the Maker who believed you were strong enough to handle them in the first place.

I believe in you,

Fellow college student