Today I called him, freaking out, ten minutes before my piano lesson. "Dad, would I be crazy to drop piano right now?" He calmly replied: "Right now, three weeks before the end of the semester? Well, at first it does sound a little...crazy..." After we talked over the whys and the what-fors, he affirmed my choices and advised: just decide what you need to do and do it confidently. If you're overwhelmed and something has to go, drop piano. Or if you can do it, do it.
It all turned out alright, and my professor was extremely encouraging, and as for piano, I'm going to finish the semester and do my best and hey! Lord-willing, in 3 weeks, I will still be a pianist. This particular Bach sinfonia may still not be perfected, but the piano will still be my instrument.
But that confidence from my dad and the encouragement that my life is not falling apart and I am not a failure means more than you know.
There are only 12 days left of classes, then finals. Sometimes I look at these next weeks and think: "YES! Almost there!" Other moments, I look at them and want to curl into a ball. How am I going to get everything done? What am I doing next year? Why is my whole school not saved? How do I give a French presentation? When am I going to start that paper? I'm serious, that Politics reading just multiplied in length by a quadrillion paragraphs. WHERE'S MY COFFEE??
Then I have a moment. It's kind of like the one with my dad today, only it's with my heavenly Father.
Annie, you're not a failure. This is my burden, let me carry it. You're going to finish strong. I'm with you. I'm for you, and if I'm for you, who can be against you? You're doing great, just keep going. You're not alone in this, and grades really aren't the end of the world. You're not a failure, You're not failing me, You're not missing the mark.
So for you...I don't know what your area is. Maybe it's not homework or school. Maybe it's your job, or your parenting, or your house that needs to get clean. Take a second and realize right now that the voice telling you that you're failing and you need to be doing it better...it's a liar. As my dad says: "If it's not from God, it's not for you."
My intimidation over school and my feelings of failure are not from God, so they are not for me. Mmm-mmm. No way. Not for me.
What have you been carrying that's not for you? Lay it down, let it go. He'll take care of the rest.
2 comments:
this really spoke to me today, annie..i was running around my house like a crazy person trying to get all my paperwork done for my new job (long story short, it's a lot of stress and paper lol) and i just feel really overwhelmed. thanks for this post, it helped. :)
this was a good motivator for me today. I have wanted to drop piano lessons so many times! i never have time to actually practice!
Thanks for this!
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