Can you believe that Christmas break is two weeks away? We have come so far this semester, and now I feel like I am sprinting toward the graduation finish line.
I spent a lot of time during Thanksgiving break reflecting on things I wish I could have done differently this school year. One of my regrets is how I have reacted to the stress of my full schedule — I believe I could have responded with a much more positive, godly attitude than I did. In addition, I think I let being busy get in the way of being a good friend, and I wish I had made more time for people. There are other things I would like to improve about this semester as well. Hindsight truly is 20/20.
However, during my reflections about the past few months, I had a revelation: I have learned numerous valuable lessons this semester both inside and outside the classroom, and many of these lessons have come not from my successes but from my failures. While that knowledge does not change the fact that I wish I could go back in time to fix several of my mistakes, it does give me peace to realize that God used my shortcomings to teach me things I needed to learn. While we should always strive to improve ourselves and become more Christ-like, God can use even the times we mess up to help us (Romans 8:28), and that is an incredibly encouraging thought.
One of the things I think I did better this semester than I have in the past, though, is that once I made a mistake, I moved on from it. When I failed, I tried to forgive myself and then focus on doing my best on the next task. I reaped the blessings of letting go of my mistakes because it freed me to accomplish more than I would have if I had devoted my energy to perpetually beating myself up over each failure. I decided to “keep moving forward,” as Walt Disney and others have said, and I was happier because of it.
The idea of “keep moving forward” applies to more than just our academic experiences: It applies especially to our spiritual walk. Along these lines, the apostle Paul wrote, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14, English Standard Version).
Can you imagine what would have happened if Paul had never forgiven himself for his actions toward Christians before he put on Christ? I don’t think he would have been able to spread the gospel effectively if he had let his past discourage him. Fortunately, that is not what Paul did. Instead, he chose to press on in his walk with God, and the result was that God used him to bring the good news to the Gentile world and to compose 13, or possibly 14, of the epistles we have in the New Testament. He epitomized what it means to keep moving forward, and the blessings from that abounded. Paul did not let his past actions hinder him from serving God, and neither should we.
Well, dear friends, this is it. After six semesters on the newspaper staff, I have reached my final Bison issue. I have treasured being able to talk to so many of you on campus and share your stories, and I appreciate you this semester for letting me, as opinions editor, share part of mine. Now I look forward to transitioning from school to a career — because happiness is when you keep moving forward.
