Finals examine one's willingness to finish the semester on a good note. It tests how much you really want that A, or how many hours of sleep and gallons of coffee you can really survive on, or whether or not you are able to balance your academic, social and spiritual life.

During the week before finals week, I struggled with this last trial due to the four essays, three exams, one entire magazine, a presentation and two lesson plans all that needed to be completed for various classes. Because of this hectic schedule, I thought that my academics were of utmost importance. I studied for hours on end, leaving my friends to hang out without me.

I worked on my many essays, disregarding the importance of daily mass. I planned both of my lessons without even considering planning my own life. I thought that I was making the right collegiate decision; studying super hard to get good grades. However, I wasn’t.

Throughout the week, my health progressively got worse. I developed an annoying spasm in my left toe that decided to twitch at the most random of times. I was constantly cold and clammy on the warm spring days. I lost the taste in my taste buds and the hearing in my ears. My heart even palpitated at awkward intervals the day before a major test. But still, I trudged on, believing that my academics were more important than my overall health.

I continued this pattern until last Wednesday night as I studied for the last big exam before finals. I had been looking over my language and composition notes the entire day. I was stressed and sleep deprived, which made me even more filled with anxiety as I didn’t know when I would get to sleep again.

Suddenly, at about 10 p.m., I just had it. I put my computer away, picked up my backpack and walked out of the library. I couldn’t study anymore! I walked outside and began to roam the campus, attempting to avoid the places where people liked to hang out. After about 15-minutes of walking, I ended up in the middle of St. Sebastian’s Garden, a beautiful serene oasis next to our basilica.

I dropped the load that was weighing heavily on my back and collapsed onto the ground. Overwhelmed by life in general, I began to do something that I hadn’t done in at least a week… I prayed. I prayed to God to allow the stress that consumed me over the past week to somehow disappear. I prayed for the hopeful A on the upcoming final. I prayed to Him for the courage to keep moving forward. Lastly, I told the Father that I was sorry for school work over Him.

As if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, the pressure that had been building for a week had suddenly disappeared. I finally was able to feel a sense of peace. I realized that I was going to survive finals week, one way or another. With all As or all Ds, finals were not going to consume me any longer. I was finally with God.

People attend college in order to get good grades and eventually receive a diploma. Because of this, it is easy to fall into the mindset that academics trump all else, making school a small god in a sense. Although God wants people to use their gifts and abilities to their fullest extent, He also desires a healthy balance between one's physical, social, academic, and spiritual life. Through my experience, I have discovered that putting part of the "balancing act" that we all carry into God's welcoming arms allows for a more enjoyable, stress-free life.

I hope that everyone who is preparing for their finals or anyone else who just feels the weight of the world on their shoulders, simply stops and asks God for his guidance, his sense of peace, and most importantly, his never ending love. You all got this! I believe in you and so does the almighty Father.