Sadly, this post is not about "How to Become a Brave Knight that Conquers Evil Dragons, and Maintains Stupendous Vigor Throughout (in 10 Easy Steps)" {although that sounds like an interesting post topic...keeping that thought on the back burner...}. This is about conquering something way scarier than an evil dragon, and it lives in all of us....sluggishness.
Sluggishness creeps into every life in many forms, but today I address my fellow students. You may attend a public school, private school, or you may be like me...sitting at your dining room table in your comfy clothes (it's called homeschooling...yeah). Yet wherever you learn your ABC's and your X's and Y's, this post is meant to encourage you.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved to learn. She dove into every information book on practically every topic she could get her hands on: photography, history, world records, sign language, first aid, wildlife, cartoon drawings, hair-styling, gardening, pottery...to name just a few. If it had tutorials or cool pictures and it was available at her local library, she wanted to read it. She yearned to learn, and diligently sought after experience and wisdom.
Fast forward to the present day. She's a 16-year-old, still wading into various subjects. She likes having knowledge, but has lost the desire to actually learn. You'll find her skimping through her Algebra 2 book, trying to squeeze out B-'s on her tests. You'll find her nodding off as she reads through her Chemistry lab experiments, not actually performing them. She scrolls through her Pinterest newsfeed with more fervor than when she reads her American History lesson (her absolute favorite subject).
She has settled for a sluggish existence.
Never in a million years did she think it would come to this. How could a person like me...er...I mean her... become a slug? Ewww.
She blames it on the fact that the work is more difficult. Obviously it's more fun to write a 3-sentence book report in 2nd grade than it is to write a 3-page summary of a heavy piece of literature. Naturally, there are days when she wishes she could go back to learning how to multiply regular old numbers instead of chemical moles and algebraic vectors.
But she is missing the point: schoolwork is not meant to be easy-peasy. It's meant to be a challenge. She has bought into the lie that our culture feeds us: "It's okay to do things half-hearted".
Lies, I tell you...lies.
Take my advice: don't become like me...um, I mean her. Life isn't about shortcuts, folks. Lazy-Bones Avenue may be fun to travel on, but the end destination is not fun. While it may be a jolly trip, you'll wish you had stayed on Determination Boulevard.
It's never wise to avoid the potholes by taking loopholes.
One of the amazing things about schoolwork is that it prepares us for life. It helps us to learn perseverance, set goals, accomplish tasks, budget our time, overcome difficulties. It challenges us to think.
Do you know what the average amount of thoughts a human brain experiences every day is? 70,000. On average, you think 70,000 thoughts a day.
That is a lot of thinking! Do you remember all of those thoughts? I doubt it. I'm not sure how many of those thoughts pertain to your schoolwork, but I would guess at least 3% of them are (that's just a wild and random guess).
So, let's say you think about your schoolwork 3% of the time. What thoughts are you having about it? If I was perfectly honest, I'd say a lot of mine are probably as follows: "This is so hard! I'm going to fail! Too difficult! I want to quit! Help me! Aaahhh!".
You are probably thinking "Good grief, she's so dramatic!", and you would be right. I have slipped into the mentality that difficult = you ought to quit. I have been dead wrong.
School is not the only thing in life that is going to be difficult. Life is difficult. I have lived so long with the plan that if I hurry and get school done, my easy life will begin. However, school is not my one life's challenge. It is a challenge, but it is preparing me for later challenges down the road.
I think it's time to take courage! Battle those difficulties!
Are we going to make mistakes? Yes! Are we going to learn from them? I hope we do!
In closing, keep in mind that you will need some help in overcoming the difficulties. Who better to help you than the One who created you? [Psalm 121:1-2] Honestly, I have tried numerous times to get my act together when it comes to my schoolwork, but I have realized that I can't do it on my own. You can't force yourself to work hard with the goal of making yourself better. Only God can make things better. Ask for His help, seek Him in His word, and use schoolwork as an act of obedience. You'll be surprised at how the difficulties can be overcome!
The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties.
- Abigail Adams
The End
