For the Girl Nervous About Going Back to School Because of Grades…
I am imagining you didn’t click on this blog if you aren’t experiencing nerves about this in some way shape or form…
Back to school season comes with syllabus week that can feel anxiety-inducing when seeing all the projects, units, grading curves, etc. all written out in front of you.
Maybe your grades aren’t that great from a really hard semester last year when there were a ton of external circumstances in your family that made it really hard for you to retain your geometry proofs when you were worried about your family and not getting good sleep.
Maybe you got a little too distracted by your phone in class and feel so embarrassed that you got sent to detention.
Maybe you are friends with all of the out of this world smart girls and when they get a B on a test that you really studied for and you also scored about the same, you hear them putting themselves down with words that make you feel like you could never measure up. You look at them and compare yourself to how easily schoolwork comes to them.
Maybe you are at the top of your class and you feel wild amounts of pressure to stay there. You feel like your whole future is hanging on a thread if you fall from glory.
Maybe you feel pressure from parents to make great grades and get into a particular school.
Whatever pressure you are feeling I want to draw you in close with as much of a virtual hug as I can. Striving and stress are probably something that you are very familiar with and I pray that you are able to take a second to breathe in His presence and really focus on what matters.
If you are in high school right now it is true that grades are the metric to which you are up against every day. They tell you how many correct answers you marked off on that test, and give intstant feedback on your study habits. What ISN’T true is that as much as the school culture might try to tell you this - your grades don’t define your worth. Whether you have a 4.0 or if you are failing World History, your identity as a daughter of the King means you are born into royalty which means you get to walk with His authority.
There is truth that the Bible says to work hard as unto the Lord and not unto men (Col. 3:22). Realistically this scripture says that we are to work diligently as if we are on assignment in everything specifically from Heaven and not from Mr. Doesn’t Grade Homework On Time in your 6th period.
There is also truth that our God wants all our attention and adoration and when you place your grades above obedience to Him, adoring Him in worship, consulting Him in prayer and yielding to His Spirit, it makes your grades an idol. We know that by definition idols have no power on earth but they have power in our hearts because they distract our focus away from the Lord. 1 Corinthians 4:8 says - We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world.” Nothing at all. My guess is if you are a gal concerned about grades you are driven and focused on your future and you are not a gal who wants to give your attention to something that will produce “nothing at all.”
The Lord says that He has plans to give you HOPE and A FUTURE and I believe that He is so mighty in each of us. I also know that when we give Him access to more of our hearts by laying down accidental idols such as grades, it allows Him more room to create the future that He is writing over you. He only writes good stories over us.
So however your GPA turns out this year, whatever grade you get on the summer homework your AP English teacher assigned, and even if you have the most average grades in your friend group - there is so much more in store for you this year.
Study hard but know that your relationship with Jesus this year is eternally more valuable than the transcripts at the end of this semester.
okthatsallloveyoubye
