" Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9.
If there is one thing you should know about me it is this: I despise grammar mistakes and poorly devised sentences. I know, I just automatically put myself out there for loads of criticism and corrections. BRING IT ON. Okay, just kidding. Blogs are different because you just write your heart out and hearts aren't grammatically correct because they don't care and life is just one big run-on sentence that keeps going and going, and going, and going. :) I hope you understood the punny-ness. Anyway, the whole grammar deal was because it almost seems that the Bible verse above is grammatically incorrect.
The phrase "do good" drives my nuts. One of my greatest teachers taught me these phrases that I will never forget: "You are good. You do well". BUT, the Bible just said "doing good"!? OH MY. Well, good is a noun in this instance, not an adjective. My heart can rest easy knowing we are all on the same page.
God has really been teaching me a LOT about perseverance. No, I haven't endured excruciating heartbreak. I haven't felt lonely or depressed. I haven't lost someone close to me or felt pain like never before.
I just failed. I failed a an academic course for the very first time in my life this past semester. What was supposed to be my very last semester of college turned out to be a failure that resulted in an extra $1800 and five more weeks of non-stop studying and homework. Now, let me back up. I did not slack off; I did not skip classes. I worked; I did extra work, and I studied like crazy. I still ended up failing chemistry. (Well, I got a D, but that doesn't transfer) Chemistry is intended to be a "weed-out" course that most college students take early on in their careers. Unfortunately, because of transferring, it ended up being my last class (twice).
I have to admit that the thought of failure in chemistry began to seep into every aspect of my life. I felt I had let Andrew down because I forced us to spend an unnecessary $1200 to re-take the class. I was no longer an above average student, and I could no longer take pride in completing my bachelor's degree on time even having transferred schools. I felt like somehow my failure was a result of some sin that I needed to confront, but what sin had been committed? Well, that's the funny thing. There was no blame to be placed in this situation. I truly had done my personal best in this class, and it just wasn't enough. Don't
get me wrong, I am sure I could have passed had I put in even more
effort. I am certainly not saying that there was no way I could have passed because
God predestined those circumstances. I would highly doubt that. I believe that God had greater plans (yet to be revealed), and failing chemistry was a small part of that. I do not feel like a failure anymore. I feel like somehow I was made available to God for a purpose. You see, failing something as big as a college course gave me a pretty great reality check. I just feel that even though, I FAILED, God had a plan. I truly am blessed to be given the privilege of re-taking a course to complete my degree. I'm privileged to have the funds to earn a degree with, and I am genuinely encouraged to know that I will finish that degree. Many of you know, I have no real intentions of utilizing my degree right away, but I know it will serve a purpose (yet to be revealed as well).
My desire is that you will be encouraged to keep "doing good". God has an awesome design for your life that will become the most beautiful masterpiece you have ever taken in... if you let Him. Make yourself available to Him. Even if this means failure on your part, let Him prove His power. Now go out, and "Do good".
