Your room is a mess.
Your bank account is running on empty.
You're begging friends for food.
You've worn far too many tacky sweaters.
You've had quite a few ice cream dates with your best friend.
You'd give anything to nap, Netflix, and get hugs for a solid week.
Welcome to the end of the semester.
It isn't just the tests and the papers and the projects; this time of year always feels hectic.
It's almost like we have to earn the joy of Christmas.
Is that really how it should be?
What have we done to ourselves?
Stress is a struggle that most people feel on varying levels every day.
For college students, it seems to all come to a climax during the first weeks of December.
But don't let stress drive you insane.
Don't take it out on the people you love.
Don't let stress dictate your time or who you act like.
Academically, the pressure is on and it feels as if your entire future is resting on your shoulders.
School is important, I know.
It's a full-time job, and it only gets worse if you have another job on the side.
I've been guilty of being that person who thought my GPA defined me and made me worthy of a good life.
Please, listen to me.
You are more than your test scores.
You are more than your college degree.
You are an infinitely beautiful tangle of hobbies, interests, personality, and random movie quotes.
You are you-- and a GPA or a piece of paper after four years (or six or ten, no judgment) could NEVER define you.
Emotionally, it's draining with the pull of going home and celebrating and the sadness of being separated from friends at school.
Your family and your friends are important.
It's okay to call your Mom and cry.
It's also okay to tell her you'll be home a few days late because you're friends are going camping.
It's okay to lean on your friends, but it's also okay to say you need time alone.
You do not and can not please everyone.
And the people who love you would never ask you to.
Spiritually, it can be difficult to find time to study the Word when you have to study physics, economics, anatomy, literature, calculus, technology, etc.
Your faith is crucial.
But God is not giving you a report card.
He loves you.
He understands you like no one else.
Your quiet time doesn't have to be two hours of deep theological thought.
Your simple "God I have no idea what the heck I'm doing but I know you got this" is treasure to Him.
Don't run yourself ragged trying to spend hours studying the people you love and reading Leviticus.
Make your relationship with Him a priority, and watch in awe as the frantic worry fades away and your time is blessed.
Mentally, it can be a struggle to think clearly as you try to balance everything and keep it all in the clear.
Decisions sometimes have to be made, but sometimes they can wait.
You DO have to decide what you want for dinner; you do NOT have to decide where you'll live in ten years.
Take it a day at a time.
Be responsible in looking ahead, but always remember that it's a terrible idea to reach for tomorrow's trouble when you were only made to put a finger on today's.
Breathe in and out, friends.
"This too shall pass."
