Wow, I know I’m definitely not your favorite part of the semester, but no one likes to be shunned, even a difficult final exam like me. Have you ever seen that T-shirt that says, “Sorry I’m late. I didn’t want to come.”? Well, I heard some high school students want a shirt that says, “Sorry I asked you to cancel the final. I didn’t want to take it because I put off doing my work this semester and I’m afraid of the consequences.” OK, I guess they didn’t make that shirt because that phrase is way too long to fit on one side, but you get my point.
So, it looks like I’m going to have to be a little more outgoing if people are going to understand why a difficult final exam like me is worth spending time with.
First, when you spend time with me for 90 minutes, you are challenging yourself to push your limits. Difficult final exams like me force you out of your comfort zone and show you that you are more resilient than you realize. You can do hard things, and when you do, you feel an amazing sense of accomplishment.
Second, as far as risk-taking goes, I’m pretty safe. I don’t bite. I won’t send you plummeting to your death if your parachute doesn’t open. I don’t spread diseases. Really, when you think about it, I can teach you endurance faster than a marathon, and I’m much more kind than the natural disasters, hunger, or wars that some people are currently experiencing. Seriously, your teachers hope you never have to go through any of those. Unfortunately, they also know that you will experience challenging events in your life, and they want to help you build the strength to endure them, then thrive again. Believe me, a final exam like me is a much safer way to build confidence and perseverance than that TikTok challenge you thought was a good idea last year.
One of my fellow final exams here at CLHS covers a really Good Book that says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). God doesn’t want you to experience hunger or war; those are part of our broken and sinful world that He sent his Son to save, but He does pour out His love and hope during challenging times in our lives.
Thanks for spending a little time with a difficult final exam like me this week. You’ll build endurance for life’s challenges in a safe way, and rejoice in hope and the glory of God as He walks with you every step of the way.
So, no, you can’t skip the final!