We are in the midst of finals week. We're cramming, we're running on little sleep and we're ready to be done. It's easy to get caught up in the moment—to forget what life is like without all the stressors that are around us. It's easy to forget that, yes, there are good things in life (and I'm not being hyperbolic here, this mindset happens to the best of us). It's easy to get pessimistic.

Now, I know it is finals, and it is stressful—but I'm here to say that it's not the end of the world. It's not the end of the world if you get a B on an exam. It's not even the end of the world if you fail a class or two. Life will literally keep on going, and you will too. If one of these things happens to you, you will learn from it, which has so much value in itself. So no, failing to get perfect grades is not the end of the world. Life will go on and you will learn. Life is disappointing sometimes. Heck, it's disappointing often. Learning how to deal with these disappointments is by far more valuable to your character and development as a coping human than getting an 'A.'

So, as we drudge through finals week, remember: it's only a week. It's only some tests and some papers. You will survive.

Rather than focus on all the bad of the week, let's look forward to the good.

Christmas is almost here; the snow is finally falling and we can rejoice that our Savior's birthday is coming up. What a great thing to think about—the birth of our Messiah! How gracious and loving is our God!

As we are in the midst of the "bad" of the season, the exams and stress, let's focus on the good of the season: Christ's birth.

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." —John 1:14