"(21) This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope (22) it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not (23) They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness (24) The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him"
Lamentations 3:21-24

During any time of the year where you're easily overwhelmed by stress and situations that just seem completely out of your control, it's important to remember that God never gives us problems without a way to find the solution. Every day God grants us BRAND NEW mercies. That means that no matter what happened yesterday, you still have hope for greater things TODAY! It's so easy to get bogged down dwelling on what we feel are shortcomings.

This is especially the case when we feel like something is our fault or we didn't do as much as we could to prevent a bad outcome or to promote a good one. For instance, the guilt and shame and regret that comes with not doing well on an exam that we know we didn't study near as much as we could have for.

Looking back on that disappointment is hard when it feels like our fault. Luckily, if we allow God's grace and mercy to rush through us, we don't have to live with those feelings for very long. And instead of condemnation, we can be filled with the marvelous revelation that we have HOPE.

"(5) And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (6) And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; (7) And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (8) For if these things be in you , and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (9) But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins"
2 Peter 1:5-9

There are qualities that are acquired through a relationship with Jesus. It can be hard during a busy week to find time to pray or to open your bible or to even attend a church service. But to become all that you can be in God, these things are a must. We have to remember the type of person that God wants us to be. We should want to be this person not only because it's right but also because these qualities are what is going to attract people to God through you.

During stressful midterms week when being patient and kind are the last things on people's mind, we have to have light in order for it to shine. People will notice when someone is different, especially if its the kind of different that they need at that very moment. It's not our charm or good looks that will attract people to God; it's being mindful and diligent to add holy qualities to our character.

"(30) Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day it, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? (31) Therefore take no thought, saying What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (32)...For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things (33) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (34) Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof"
Matthew 6: 30-34

What always leaves me lost- for- words when I come across this passage is verse 30; literally saying that if God takes thought to "clothe" the grass which is here today and gone tomorrow, how can I have so little faith to believe that he is going to make me go without what I need? I sometimes can never understand how people will say not to worry about the future, "worry about today!".

Today is only 24 hours!

The future is much longer than that. But that feeling of complete defeat or dread that we can become consumed by when we begin to think of tomorrow (which is completely out of our control) is exactly why it's so dangerous. It's definitely difficult especially in college worrying about picking the right major or maintaining a good enough grade point average to get into our professional or graduate school of choice.

But "your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things". This is why we shouldn't worry about if our career choice is going to give us enough money to buy food or clothes or a house. It's already taken care of. A good amount of healthy fear is not a bad thing. Fear and anxiety that cripples is not a spirit that God means us to have.