I see you. I see you over there studying so hard that you can’t see straight anymore. I see you working so hard to understand that concept from math class. I see you struggling to understand what mitosis even is or the what difference between protostomes and deuterostomes is. I see you nervously taking a test you spent days studying for. I see your heart break into a million or more pieces when you check your grades and see that you failed. I see you cry yourself to sleep and wonder if it will always be this way. You wonder if you’re failing this class, how could you possibly succeed at the more difficult ones to come? You continue with your week and that bad grade consumes you. You begin to think thoughts like “I’m such a failure” or “I’m not good at anything so what’s the point of trying?” Allow me to let you in on a little secret. Okay?
It's okay to fail.
You read that correctly. It will be okay. I understand that’s it’s an incredibly hard pill to swallow. I know you want to be perfect. I know that you want to live up to the image of being able to do it all. I know you want nothing more than to make your family, friends and others around you proud of you. I know that it’s incredibly stressful to think about failing a test or even a class because you’ve never done that before. I know you’re thinking that this bad grade is pretty much the end of the world.
But, hear me out: it’s not. You are not defined by your grades. You are not defined by a test score. You are so much more than a number or a score. You are beautiful. You’re smart and have a crazy amount of talent. You love passionately and care fervently. You love what you do and you work extra hard to make sure you get what you want. One bad grade on your transcript will not ruin your career. Sure, it will lower your GPA a tad but you, being your awesome self, will ace the classes to come with flying colors. Your GPA will bounce back. So should you. Don’t let this one obstacle set the stage for the rest of your life. No one is perfect. It’s okay to be less than stellar some days.
Even though you have these off days, you have to get back on track. Get back on the road toward your goals and dreams. Refocus your mind on things ahead. Put that bad grade or bad class behind you and run the rest of your course. If anything, let this bad grade or class strengthen you. Empower you. Let it be part of your foundation as a teaching moment. You know what you can do better right? Do it then! Do it like a #boss while you’re at it!
Hebrews 12:1-2 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”