First off, don't apologize at all. The need to talk to your friends and to vent about failing a class is necessary, completely understandable, and exactly what friends are for.

As for your class... points. Think about it... points. That's it. Those points are the threshold. They are the threshold that's keeping you from passing. Are you telling me points are stronger than you? Because if you were to stand up right now, go look yourself in the mirror, and tell yourself all of the brave things you have done, all of the difficulties you have faced in your life yet still come out of strong, there is no way those points can stop you this time. (By the way, listen to "Unstoppable" by Sia. It's a great song).

Hear me out, you are worth a heck of a lot more than those points, and you know that. They do not dictate the direction that your life goes in. You decide that. No one else. If you want something, then you can attain it. Listen to me: do not give up. You're not alone. You have friends that care about you and will be here for you each step of the way!

When we were born, I don't think even our parents thought our lives would go perfectly. They knew, in that instant when they held us in their arms, that we would have our hardships and fair share of things to overcome. That's life. We knew that too. We know that now. We know that life does not go how we planned it to go. It just doesn't. But it happens. Life happens. The good and the bad both happen, and there's no stopping either of them sometimes, no matter how hard you try.

Want to know something? If I had not taken an accounting class with a particular professor, I would not have met one of my best friends. She, no doubt, will be in my life until I'm old and wearing dentures. You know what? I didn’t pass that class. I had to retake it, but I would not have traded taking the course with that professor for anything. I would rather have failed the class than have not taken it with her.

My point is, grades do not always dictate the direction your life will go in. Sometimes God puts you on another path so that you can meet someone new, so that something else can happen to help you grow. And sometimes God decides that, no matter your efforts to make life go the way you want it to go, He has better plans. He decides something beautiful and wonderful is in store for you, and that is the direction He has you going in. You aren't forgotten! You are in the palm of His hand. I know that.

Just take a bit of time today to sit down and think about or write down those parts of you that you are proud of. Whether it's your bravery, your loyalty, your kindness, whatever it is, be proud of your character. Being a strong person is the greatest accomplishment someone can make, especially being so young. And being strong, let me tell you, is an accomplishment that's worth a heck of a lot more than passing a class.

Another fun fact? One of my brother’s majors was accounting... and yet he failed an accounting course at college too. Sometimes I wonder if that happened just so now he can tell his baby son that and it will inspire him. Things happen for reasons unknown. What I do know is that perseverance will take you through this. God will take you through this. Your friends will be here for you through this, and you are going to get through this and get your degree. Ain't nobody taking that degree away from you, including yourself!

Power through. Keep your chin up. Think about it, some lawyers had to take the bar exam legitimately six or seven times before passing. But they did it. True story. It took one man over 48 attempts before he passed. My point is, this is not the end. This is just the beginning. It's not a simple or easy class, and it's not a simple or easy situation to be in, but that doesn't mean you walk away. It means you gather your friends, you gather yourself, you gather all of the strength that you have, and you head forwards. You plunge through it.

All it takes is a decision. You either decide to make it, and you make it, or you decide to let circumstances get the best of you. I know what you are capable of, though, because look at how far you have come. I believe in you. Believe in yourself.