Finding God in Finals Week

Finals week has come, and is finally almost done. It is the main reason I have been MIA for a bit. Most final exam periods last for a week but my professors decided to offer some "unofficial exams" that began last Tuesday. So many students struggle so much during finals week so in order to help my friends out I went online to find an uplifting prayer for them. I found this rendition of psalm 23 on a blog called "amongst women".

A PRAYER FOR FINAL EXAMS

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not flunk;
He keepeth me from lying down when I should be studying.
He leadeth me beside the water cooler for a study break.
He restoreth my faith in study guides.
He leads me to better study habits
For my grade's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of borderline grades,
I will not have a nervous breakdown For Thou art with me.
My prayers and my friends, they comfort me.
Thou givest me answers in moments of blankness;
Thou anointest my head with understanding.
My test paper runneth over with questions I recognize.
Surely passing grades and flying colors shall follow me.
All the days of my examination,
And I shall not have to dwell in this university forever,
AMEN

I just thought it was great. Although I had a very long exam period, I was able to take a much needed break and go home for a few days in between some of my exams. Being able to go to my home parish and spend time with my family really allowed me to come back and be refreshed and focused on my exams.

Not all of my exams were bad this year. I was able to turn in a great final TV package about the closing of the Institute of Catholic Thought's School of Theology at the University of Illinois. I also gave a group presentation of the Theology of the Body, one of my favorite topics.

I've been in college for 6 semesters and I think I have come to an interesting realization. The semesters that I have taken a course which allowed me to explore my faith have been some of my happiest semesters and I have gotten the best grades in these classes. The night our group put together our final presentation was the night before it was due. Last minute, I know! Such is college life, it is hard for 3 busy gals to get together sometimes. We worked from 10pm-1:30am making notes and then I went to my room to type them up until 3:30am. To be honest, I wasn't even tired! I was so excited about sharing what we learned with our class that I couldn't sleep. It was like the same rush I feel when I am on the trail of a great journalism story.

I feel so lucky to be able to live in a dorm that has a chapel connected to it. We have access to it 24/7! When residents tell me they are stressed, I tell them to take a time out for themselves. For a lot of them, it means take some time to go pray. I really believe that when you have your spiritual life in line, everything else falls into place. Does this mean that I think that if I go pray before an exam I will get an A? No, it means that I think that taking a 5 minute break to spend time with God will help me focus and put my priorities in order.

I've also found that saying the Jesus Prayer before an exam really helps me calm my nerves. "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner."

As much as I have enjoyed this past semester, and the year (despite how absolutely miserable some of my classes were last semester) I am SO ready to go home for a few months. I love spending time with my family, going to my church to tape radio shows and help out, and just enjoying a life that isn't punctuated by papers, projects and midterms (oh my!). I'm also hoping that the summer will provide me with some awesome topics and opportunities to blog about.

So stick around, the best is yet to come.