I'm sure that this has been written half a million times, but I will share what is on my heart anyway. Grades came out this morning and being the student that I am, I sat in bed mindlessly refreshing the page that would eventually have my grades posted... I even checked a couple of times earlier this week, just in case they appeared ahead of time. Today I asked myself this question: what if I didn't get the grades that I wanted- would that change me? Would that change how much Jesus loves me, or even my family or friends? The answer is no. My grades do not reflect my personal worth. My grades do not define me, The Lord does.

     Now I'm sure I know what you're thinking... I'm one to talk about how grades don't matter. I'll be the first to admit that I seek satisfaction and worth in my school work, and that's a huge flaw of mine that I'm striving to overcome. That's why I'm writing this. While I believe that as Christians we are to work to the best of our abilities to glorify Him through everything we do, it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't get that A that I worked so hard to receive. There's nothing wrong with being humbled and reevaluating what is of most importance to us. My heart aches for those who lose their self confidence within their final grades. 2 Corinthians 12:10 says with his help, we find strength in our weaknesses. "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

      School work can be a heavy distraction from our personal relationship with Jesus. If making an A means growing apart from Him, then it isn't worth it to me. I let myself get carried away in my studies this past semester and devoted more time to temporary satisfaction than eternity with Jesus. Compared to the rest of my life, what grades I earn my freshmen year of college are, to be frank, meaningless. The grade you receive is part of His greater plan. "He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." So no matter if you make an A or a C, if you did your best and stayed on the right path towards God, He is proud of you.

     Draw near to Him throughout your studies, do your best, and never forget who gave you your abilities from the start.