Faced with the coming end of term, a variety of final assignments, tests and exams inevitably drown students in tasks, and some despair at the amount of work piling up.
I am one of these despairing students.
The weather this time of year is far from pleasant and it complements the oppressive feeling nicely. When surrounded by deadlines, possibility of failure and the vagaries of school administration, I find myself feeling quite alone, quite scared and quite in over my head. I begin to wonder if there is truly anyone who can understand what I’m feeling and help me. I wonder sometimes if I should even be in university.
God, thankfully, is always there. Even in the exam room.
“He slumbers not” is a phrase often used to describe God’s nature, and even if you are half- asleep studying or even writing the exam, He is there for you. I have prayed to God before tests, hoping for His guidance and assistance. There will be tests where I do not do as well as I hope, just as there will be tests where my result will be unexpectedly high. Either way, God does not abandon His own.
Sometimes, I will not for the life of me be able to recall a term or an answer. I pray, and give it time, and the answer often comes back to me. God knows we are only human, and we can only recall so much offhand. It is important during an exam to not despair or give in to resignation. Neither of these negative options is helpful while working, and they are not necessary. With God there is no need for despair. Despair is just as bad for our spiritual health as it is for our physical health, and to pass all of life’s exams, including God’s, we need to remember that bemoaning our situation is pointless. God will help us pass through all our trials in life, no matter the size.
Consider Jonah from the Old Testament. He had one hard test set out for him. He was sent to warn Nineveh of the impending doom coming to its people. Jonah, however, felt like the task would be far too hard for him, and so he ran away. He ended up being swallowed by a whale, and it was only when he prayed to God and finally did His work that he survived.
Just like Jonah, we may often be in a metaphorical “whale” while we study — a cramped, uncomfortable feeling of stress and anxiety. It is up to us to remember that God is more than willing to help us pass. We need merely seek His eternal guidance.
(Johnson, 20, is a third-year Concurrent Education student at Glendon College at York University.)