I guess to some extent that's a flawed belief. As Rev Kenneth Huang reminded Kenneth and I a couple of weeks back, our primary purpose for being here in school is to study. There's nothing wrong with coming for FireAC, or keeping our focus on God. But here we are in school, being testimonies to our classmates, our teachers and our friends. Does it not reflect badly on ourselves as Christians? Who can proclaim to be close followers of God and yet flunk our exams. If you know me I'm guilty of this on all counts, with a less than average mark record to show for it, so this year I'm already working harder than I used to.
An analogy is always nice, and since we could all use some stress relief: -
Torrential rains were swiftly flooding the town's streets. A preacher
sat on his porch watching the deluge. As the rising water approached his front
steps, a rescue squad boat motored by. "Come aboard, Preacher!" shouted one of
the officials. "We'll carry you to safety."
"I'm safe enough," the preacher replied. "I'm trusting the Lord to
protect me and my home."
Half an hour later the water was up to the porch floor. Another boat
glided past. "Jump aboard, Preacher! It's going to get worse!"
"I'm not afraid, friends. The Lord will deliver me from
drowning."
Late in the day, the flood had almost engulfed the town's buildings.
The preacher was on the roof, clinging to the chimney, when a helicopter hovered
overhead. A rope was cranked down to the pitiful victim - and astonishingly, the
preacher waved the crew away. "The Lord Himself will save me," he
declared.
And as darkness descended, the preacher was swept to his
death.
The next thing he knew, he was at heaven's gate, waiting at the desk of
St. Peter. The venerable saint looked up from his wrigin. "You!" he exclaimed.
"What are you doing here already?"
"Well, the preacher stammered, "I was down there in the flood, waiting
for the Lord to rescue me, and finally the water just got too high
and..."
"Saints, man! We sent you two boats and a helicopter!"
Which brings us all back down to earth with the common saying: "God helps those who help themselves." Are we hoping for a miracle, that by fervent prayer and dedication to God for these few weeks, He will grant us good grades for the end years? The best way to ensure that happens is probably to dig in ourselves and make the effort to study. It isn't easy to juggle both commitments sometimes, but I'm quite sure the results are a surer bet with that formula. And perhaps this has been overused too, but just look at Tim.
There's also a sad lesson in this. Sometimes we're so caught up in our own way of how God should be doing things, that we fail to recognise His hand working in other ways. Usually in those ways we can't see. Most of us are stressed. Worried. The other extreme doesn't work either; totally forsaking God for our studies ("but God wants us to do well!") might backfire as well. In fact, as I've mentioned before, its when we're lacking time and feeling tired that, all the more we should be coming to God and seeking His help, because He's the one who can comfort and restore, who can grant peace and rest, who can pull us through.
And like Kenneth mentioned this morning, don't neglect your QT. Along with keeping our focus on our studies, let's not forget to keep God in our sights as well. And with Him in the centre of our lives, and with us striving to work for His glory, doing things with Him in control, we'll all find all the strength, the joy, the peace and the resolve to do whatever has been set out for us, and do it well, at that.
So with that weighing on your minds, keep close to Him, and go pwn those exams.
In His Love,
- Fabriz
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