Skip to main content

lessons from 2x4s...

I just got a 52% on my first test in modern physics (which, by the way, was also my first test in my grad school career).

How painful is that?

The crazy thing is, I'm not totally devastated by it like you would think. I know, pretty surprising, right?

I think it goes back to when I went back to school in 2008--my first undergrad test in physics was, coincidentally, my first test being back in undergrad. It was in Dr. Hemmati's Physics II class, the first semester of electricity and magnetism stuff. I got something like a 43% on that test, and I questioned everything I was doing.

I remember telling Nathan I needed to just drop out of school and find a job flipping burgers because there was no way I would make it through.

This time, though, things are different.
Yes, that 52% hurts (a lot).
Mostly, though, it gives me something to overcome.

I have this trait of wanting a fight, wanting something to push me into being better.

Hmm, maybe that's why God has to use a 2x4 to knock some lessons into me...definitely food for thought!

Let me tell you, a test grade like that (especially when it accounts for 25% of my final grade) does more than give me a push.

It's more like a kick in the seat that sends me sprawling into the dirt.

The convenient thing is, when you're face down on the ground, the easiest place to get to is your knees!

Comments

  1. Grad school was one of the hardest things I've ever done and one of the most humbling experiences. It's also a time when I had to fully depend on God to get me through and I know He's the reason I graduated.

    Praying for you as you persevere through grad school!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thoughts? I would love to hear them!
~Mandy

Popular posts from this blog

a little bit of physics (don't be scared!)

"by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." hebrews 11:3 this is one of my favorite verses--i call it my physics verse because to me it is tying together my faith and subatomic particles. no, really--i mean it! when i first started working on a degree in physics and a minor in biology, somebody (i don't remember who anymore, but it seems like it was somebody on some kind of discussion board...) told me that i would forget about all that dumb "christianity" (<--spell checker doesn't like that. hmm...) stuff. once i had been educated, i would see that faith was superstition and a pointless waste of time, something for the ignorant, uneducated masses.  while i'm sure that is the conclusion some people come to, it sure wasn't for me.                          ...

one word for 2013

How many times growing up were you told to be a leader? Our society seems focused on being the leader, the one out in front all the time. We are taught to develop our leadership skills we pick team captains from childhood we strive for promotions we work hard to be at the front of the pack. I'm definitely no exception--I worked hard to become captain of my cheer squad from middle school on through my senior year, I studied to be at the head of my class and then get into the Honors Program at Tech when I started college (the first time around , anyways!), I developed the skills that would get me into grad school. I was taught to lead instead of just going along with the crowd. What if there's something else being asked of me, though? Hang with me here--if you're like me, this concept is a bit of a hard pill to swallow. What if, instead of being pushed to become a leader, I'm being asked to simply... Follow. That is my word for 2013. It found me unexpect...

Stand up and speak

 Pastor Allen Jackson recently said, "I think when you accept your Christian identity card for the Kingdom, you forfeit your neutrality with evil." In my writing here, I haven't been very vocal when it comes to politics. A quick count based on the "politics" tag shows 37 of 409 posts, so 9% through the years. Of those, I've been pretty diplomatic in my writing--encouraging you to do the research and exercise your right and responsibility to vote, no matter who you vote for. I've basically remained neutral...but I don't think that is something we can do any longer. If you listen to the loudest voices in our society right now, we as Christians should keep our beliefs out of our politics. We are told to keep quiet, and if we do on occasion try to speak up for biblical truths we are told that our words are hateful and bigoted. As a result, most of us have listened. We've pretty much agreed to sit down and shut up. It's past time for us to stand u...