A Blessing in Diguise

Somebody put on the brakes!! Life is out of control as a senior student! I know I can speak for almost every grade twelve student out there that is headed for university, in saying that right now we are in overdrive with an overload of stress, and it is a rollercoaster ride.
Life is filled with new experiences as young adults, friends, I.S.U. projects, homework, scholarship applications, university applications, exams, jobs, and the list goes on and on.
But what happens when it all feels like it’s too much? Like you can’t perform up to standards set by your family, your teachers, the province, your peers, and yourself?
I found myself asking that question while staring into a rejection letter…from the only university I dream of going to. Now what I expected from myself, what my family expected, is all down the drain.

But in the grand scheme of things, really are these things such a big deal? Do they really matter to the point where they can ruin your life? Let’s break it down a bit and tackle the two biggest issues that highschool seniors deal with.

School; Yes you really should work hard and do your homework and finish your I.S.U.s and perform to the best of your ability by all means. But can you really complain? We in North America have a FREE education system that is almost unmatched. If you fail a class, it is still free and there are several ways to ensure that the failed class is retaken. If a student struggles in a certain subject then there are tutors, learning strategies and professionals are all dedicated to student success. How many students in second and third world countries would give up everything they own just for half of the educational opportunities we have here? In Haiti, the children beg you to teach them English, and they don’t have tutors, professionals or worry about failed classes. Why is this?? Because they value education for what it is and should be valued for!! Education is such a rare and precious thing, so why not work your tail off out of thankfulness for what we have been blessed with!

University; So University or College is a big deal in life because it really helps mould and shape your future yes? Of course! But is it the end of the world if you aren’t accepted? Most definitely not. What if it isn’t where you are supposed to be and life has a completely different path laid out for you? Everything happens for a reason, and sometimes all it takes is a little bit of trust. God has a huge master plan, and he is in complete control. I figure with my own situation, that if the Haitians I met can trust God with everything, they have including there lives on a daily basis, then I can take a leap of faith on just this one decision. Dr. Manno stressed the fact that he doesn’t receive funding for his clinic, and yet they serve thousands of Haitians. How does the clinic survive? He says everyday he relearns how to trust that God will provide for his clinic and his people. So why not let all that stress go and learn to trust?

Stress of an everyday senior highschool student is rough, I would know. But when I take a step back and look to see the rest of the world, I realize and I see how incredibly blessed and lucky I am to have the life I do and stress is a part of the package. It’s a part of life that we have to learn to deal with, but we students can’t let it get to us, because we have what over 60% of the world dreams of having. Despite how tough the education system seems, it really is a massive blessing in disguise.

I Choose You.

Life is not perfect. It's a fact that we all accept and learn to deal with right? What about the fact that it doesn't always work out in our favour? What about when things don't go our way, and life get's difficult? How do we deal with that hard reality when our plans don't work out like we want them to?

During one conversation with Dr. Manno in Haiti, I asked him how he dealt with hardship in life on a daily basis. If you don't know Haiti, things don't usually work out as planned if ever, and life doesn't cut you many breaks. His answer? It is a choice. Everything about you is a choice. The choice I make everyday is the decision to be content. Maybe things are not perfect, but every day is a God given gift and because of that I can make the choice to be content and at peace with life. He has a plan and he knows far more than I do. He knows how things will workout so why can't I accept that? I have to choose to be content, or otherwise I would be miserable all day everday, and that is no way to live life.

If you think about it, it is really true. I mean, no you can't change the circumstances that you are in, and you certainly can't change the people around you, but you are in full control of your emotions and reactions and you are in the driver's seat for your life. Being content is a personal state that you are in complete and utter control over, not something that environmental factors should be able to dictate whether or not you are at peace with yourself and your life.

This is decision most certainly not an easy task by any means, because emotions are directly linked to your environment, and directly affect how you feel. How we feel is often linked to whether or not we think we are 'content' or happy. But this is where the concious decision-making on your part comes into play.
If you think about it, maybe your plans aren't working out, but you are still blessed in life. You are alive for one, and there is always someone who loves you, whether it be a friend or a family member, and if none of those, God loves you. If you are able to read this, then you are blessed to have access to the internet, a luxury which so many people in our world live without. You have so much to be thankful for in life, and everyday is a new day, perfectly unmarred and ready for you to paint life into it. How can you not be content with that? Yes things go wrong, and maybe life drags you down, but remember how we said life isn't perfect? It's not! But that doesn't mean you can't choose to be content.

Emotions and feelings aren't supposed to be surpressed, but expressed and shown; being content is different than emotions. Being content is a choice, a tough one, but a choice.

Today I choose to be content.

What will you decide?