The word "perspective," what does it mean to you? Just now, when you read that word what came to mind? Okay, if you are one of those people and are like "Uh, I don't even know" I give you permission to pause here and go read it again.

Okay, now what did you think of? Did you think of the typical "perspective on life" thing? Maybe, with it being finals season, your mind automatically went to "I wonder what perspective my professor is going to see my C(79) from? Maybe he will see it from a lenient perspective and raise it that extra point?"

The past few weeks I have self-disciplined myself to start putting things into perspective. I woke up one morning. It was a Monday. The Monday that started "dead week" at my University. Which meant, finals are next week and all the sudden I hated life. I made awkward eye contact with myself as I was brushing my teeth, half asleep. At that moment, I felt miserable. I was miserable because I didn't want to wake up that day. I didn't want to go to class. I didn't want to spend four hours at Starbucks studying for a final that I didn't want to take. I didn't want to go to work. You see, I just didn't want to do any of my responsibilities that day. As I rinsed my mouth out and threw my hair in a messy bun, why? Well, because I didn't want to do my hair. I took another good look in the mirror. I criticized the bags under my eyes from the five hours of sleep I had gotten. I then noticed this day had been the 7th consecutive day in a row that I didn't want to do anything and it wasn't just the stress of finals making me hate life. This had been the date that marked exactly a week that I had a very negative perspective on my day before it even started. You might be like me and not even realize it but, you've been living this life just routinely going through the motions and it's creating YOU, which is even worse than other people, to pour negativity into your days.

I took about an hour one night, after my day was over, to sit at my desk and write down negative phrases that I caught myself saying that day. The real game changer was when I opened my Bible and saw that God had a positive perspective for all the negative phrases that I spoke over and into my life, I realized this might change more than my GPA, this might change my life. Better yet, how I look at life.

1.) Me: "I can't figure it out."

God: "I will direct the steps you take"

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! - Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)

2.) Me: "I am too tired"

God: "I will give you rest."

"Are you tired? Worn out? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest."

- Matthew 11:28 (MSG)

3.) Me: "This is impossible"

God: "all things are possible."

"No chance at all," Jesus said, "if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."

-Luke 18:27 (MSG)

4.) Me:"It's not worth it."

God: "It will be worth it."

"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. He knows us far better than we know ourselves. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."

- Romans 8:26-28 (MSG)

5.) Me: "I can't do it."

God: "You can do all things"

"Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am."

- Philippians 4:13 (MSG)

This eleven letter word, "perspective" holds so much weight. It holds the weight of how your day is going to go. It holds the weight of your happiness. It holds the weight of some of your relationships and friendships. It holds the weight of your self-esteem and self-confidence. And, with it being finals, going into your exam with an expectation to fail and a perspective of being a failure will not get you the grade. You may not know a thing on the test but just having a better, more positive perspective going in will at least help you guess. But, as your study and prepare for finals. As you begin to think "I am too tired," or "I can't do it." just remember the God perspective and you'll walk out with not only a good grade, but a new level of confidence in yourself.