Day 2 'It's Gonna Be Different' | Week of Welcome Devotional

Aug 22: It's Gonna Be DifferentI took Finite Math 3 times during undergrad. It wasn't that it was too hard of a course. I just could not seem to get through it. Maybe it was the fact that I always chose the 

8 a.m.

 classes consistently even though I have always struggled to wake up early. Or maybe it was the sense that I didn't really know what I was doing on campus & Finite Math wasn't getting me any closer to clarity. I failed it the first time and dropped it the second. On try number three, I also incurred a 'repeated course' fine that was to motivate me to make the third time the charm. I was motivated, but not by the extra fee.I walked into the third try with a very specific frame of mind: God was gonna do a new thing in me this time. This wasn't my idea - it was based on something I read in scripture:

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”- Isaiah 43:19 ESV

I held onto this verse all semester. These words rang in my head when I got tired of homework. The Holy Spirit reminded me of  the 'way in the wilderness' when I got discouraged that my work wouldn't pay off. And it honestly got me out of bed when all I wanted to do was use one of those excused absences.I got a 'B' in Finite Math! More than passing the class, I was grateful that my past failures didn't repeat themselves. Even better, I felt a blessing from heaven as God taught me a new work ethic. God did not give me a B; God gave me energy & motivation to remain faithful. I needed that more than anything.Some of us are great at school. And then there's the rest of us. For many, undergrad is the greatest challenge of life to this point. The fear of failure is only eclipsed by the fear of failing again. But friends - YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Our beautiful God is waiting to do a new thing in you. Yes, even you!I offer this prayer that you can pray if you want God to give you a new work ethic this semester. And please know that I am praying for you as well.Beautiful God, your grace & support means everything to me. I have made mistakes in the past, and I'm afraid I'll make more without help. By Your Holy Spirit, come do a new thing in me. Give me energy & motivation that inspires studying & effort. Use friends & faculty around me so that I am encouraged to stay the path. Protect me from laziness & apathy; help me stay faithful until the end of the semester. I ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.