I have always thought that the spring semester is the hardest semester. Winter break was just long enough to get you relaxed and back to feeling like a normal human being again before being thrust back into classes and writing papers. Students have been pushing hard all of fall semester, and motivation is often lacking in the spring. In the spring it feels like there is a monumental mountain to climb, but no motivation left to get up the last little bit. I want to take a moment and share a valuable life lesson that I am learning the hard way.
For those of you who know me REALLY well, you understand that I am a hardcore perfectionist and I really struggle with it. The current academic system is a living nightmare for people like me. We are judged, ranked, and told how good of a person we are based on what grades we receive, defined by sometimes very arbitrary measures. Mentally, bad grades = bad person = failing at life. Competition with other students is what makes or breaks us as we compare grades. No matter how much perfectionists study, we could have always done more. It is never good enough. For instance, a perfectionist’s first thought is never “Yay! I got a 93, that’s a great grade!” Our first thought is always, “Why did I lose seven points?”
But God does not judge us based on grades or how good of a person we think we are. In Matthew 6:31 Jesus says, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” When we make the conscious decision to SEEK God FIRST in life, the cares of the world fade away, and we are able to understand that life is not about being a good person. At the end of your life, who cares what your grades were? No one, not even you. Next semester you will not remember if you got an A or a B on a silly discussion post. God cares about whether or not you are deciding to put Him first in all areas of your life. When we are obedient to Him, He will reward our faithfulness.