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Not only have I been in the classroom in school a ton, I have been sitting at a desk in God’s classroom, as well. When we go through some of the toughest times in life, those are some of the moments where God is trying to show you something and teach you something. Sometimes, in those tough moments, we tend to doubt God isn’t there, and we aren’t receptive to listening to what He is trying to teach us. Amen! We feel as if we have strayed from God, but are unwilling to come back and go our own way and do our own thing, thinking our way is best. We become caught up in tough moments, forgetting the beautiful plan God has crafted for us. God doesn’t like to see you in distress, or sad, or tired, or uncomfortable. But when we are in distress, or sad, or tired, or uncomfortable, there is a reason. God is testing your faith.

School hasn’t been my best friend lately. I’ve become increasingly lazy and unmotivated, not wanting to complete assigned tasks and putting off studying until the very last possible second. I kept telling myself, “senioritis exists!” I kept making that same lame excuse for the past several weeks, continuing to score lower and lower on assignments that I don’t think matter anymore. I’m already accepted into a college with a Division II cross country career to look forward to, why do I need to put so much effort into this year? News flash! Just because it is the last year of high school and your future is laid out on a silver platter, DOESN’T MEAN you stop the grind. The point is, if you feel like you are trying to run through peanut butter, don’t stop! God is testing your faith. He is seeing if He puts you in tough moments, you will trust Him enough to get you out of those situations. He is seeing if you will remain faithful to Him.

Remaining truly faithful can be difficult; I’ll be the first to admit. However, something I like to think about when I notice I am doubting God is…recalling past victories! Remembering all those times God has pulled you out of the dark places you have been, remembering all those times God has held your hand through painful moments is the best thing to do when trying to remain faithful. Think about every moment where God has helped you, every prayer He has answered for you, and you will soon see why being faithful to God is so worth it. Another idea that has helped me a lot is a prayer box, where I actually write down my prayers, worries, etc. and put them in the box and leave them up to God. Then, later, when my prayers have been answered, I write them down on a notebook sheet I have hung up in my room. I have had over a hundred prayers answered, and I haven’t been at it that long.

Another tip to remaining faithful is to pray often. Pray, even if you don’t feel like it. You don’t even have to get down on your knees, wherever you are, however you are feeling, pray. Let God in! I talk about that a lot, but I mean it. Tell God how you feel and praise Him for all He has done. All this will help you see that tough moments will pass if you remain faithful, and trust, trust, TRUST!!!

Life is a fantastic place, filled with fantastic people and places and dogs and sunshine and chocolate chip cookies and new running shoes and should be enjoyed and loved. So when life is looking bleak, look up to God and know that He not only has overcome the world, but He has you in the palm of His hand. Take moments sometimes and just be silent, and you can actually FEEL God’s presence. You can feel His hand on your shoulder, and His comforting words when need them. If your faith is being tested, know that it is already approved and your help is on the way.

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” —Isaiah 43:2