This week of J-Term has been a particularly hard one for me. Everything that can go wrong HAS gone wrong. Right now, I'm at the point where I needed to take a mental health break and just spend a weekend back at home. As I was heading home from school, I had my music playing through the radio. I had just gotten new music before I returned to school after Christmas break, so it was only normal for me to be listening to it on repeat for the whole two hours of the trip. I was slowly starting to doze off to sleep when the song "Undefeated" by Skillet started playing. All of the previous times I had not really paid any attention to the lyrics; I just listened to the rhythm. Something was different this time. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was telling me to pay attention to the lyrics this time. I am so glad that I did.......they were the words that I truly needed to hear at the time. These are the lyrics. (I by no means take credit for any of these lyrics! They all belong to Skillet. "Undefeated" is off of their new album "Unleashed")

"Undefeated" by Skillet

I'm undefeated

Hands on my neck, foot on my back

Closing in from every side

Bleeding me dry, I'm fading fast

Left for dead but I will rise up on my own

I could make it alone, I got all I need to survive

(All that I need to survive)

Through the sweat and the blood, I know what I'm made of

It's the hunger that keeps me alive

This time, I'm coming like a hurricane, this time..

I came to fight for the love of the game,

Unstoppable

That's why I, I'm undefeated

Off the leash, out of the cage, an animal

That's why I, I'm undefeated

I, I, I know I can beat it

Won't give up cause I believe it

Fight for the love of the game, unstoppable

That's why I, I'm undefeated

Here at the edge losing my ground

Stare into the great divide

Pushing me over, pulling me down

Almost dead, but I will rise up on my own

No, I'm never alone and it's all I need to survive

(All that I need to survive)

Through the sweat and the blood, if I fall, I'll get up

It's the hunger that keeps me alive

This time, I'm coming like a hurricane, this time

I came to fight for the love of the game

Unstoppable

That's why I, I'm undefeated

Off the leash, out of the cage, an animal

That's why I, I'm undefeated

I, I, I know I can beat it

Won't give up cause I believe it

Fight for the love of the game, unstoppable

That's why I, I'm undefeated

All the strength that I have, all the life that's left in me

I will give every breathe to be everything I can be

I, I, I'm undefeated

I, I, I'm undefeated

I came to fight for the love of the game

Unstoppable

That's why I, I'm undefeated

Off the leash, out of the cage, an animal

That's why I, I'm undefeated

I, I, I know I can beat it

Won't give up cause I believe it

Fight for the love of the game, unstoppable

That's why I, I'm undefeated

That's why I, I'm undefeated

This song really spoke volumes to me. After hearing this and really paying attention to the lyrics, I now have a newfound confidence that I didn't have before. I have realized that it doesn't matter what you do......the only thing that matters is that you are putting forth the effort that God would want you to. The other night during a meeting with one of my professors, he told me that "God doesn't care about the worldly things. He doesn't look at that stuff. What He does look at is what is on your heart. As long as your heart is pure and you are really trying to better yourself, than God will be proud of you no matter what". As a student, I really need to take that statement to heart. As long as you "fight for the love of the game", then you will really become "Undefeated"!