I never struggled making the grades when I was in school. That was the worst thing for me.
My problem in school was not passing classes, but not passing out in class from my lack of care. I didn’t take school seriously. And I didn’t have to. For some reason, studying and test-taking came effortlessly to me and I was a straight-A student most semesters (with an occasional B). In 2015 I graduated with honors from Denham Springs High School.
To you, it may sound like I am bragging about my own intelligence and my accomplishments. But looking back now, perhaps to your surprise, I wish that I had to work hard for something in my formative years of being a middle schooler/high schooler. Very rarely would I sacrifice my free time to study at home for a hard test (which may sound nice to you!). Instead, for most of my youth, I used all of that free time in sacrifice to the idol of entertainment. In my case, that was mostly on computer games.
Not until 10 years ago as a junior in high school, when God awakened my slumbering faith, did I begin to care about His kingdom. Before this, I spent every hour I could on a screen, robbing myself of so many life experiences and robbing God of the good He could have done through me. And the appeal of entertainment—from the rise of social media, to the mind-melting algorithms, to near-constant access to streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Twitch—only continues to develop in your age.
In your world today, there is an endless amount of ways to spend your time. The limit isn’t on what you can access these days; the limit applies to the quickly-fading days, minutes, and seconds of your youth.
What I want you to learn from my foolishness is what I discovered as a junior. There is nothing worth your limited time more than focusing on God and His kingdom. No achievement on a video game, no viewer count on a viral video, no trophy from a sports team, and no grade on a report card will follow you into Heaven. And if you care about attaining these earthly things above pursuing Jesus, you will only become growingly confused, increasingly self-reliant, and eventually lost in this world—just like I was. But when you set your mind on the heavenly things, you see what I saw: my friends coming to know Jesus through me. And I know one day I’ll see those very same friends with me forever in the eternal joy of God in Heaven; this is all because of Jesus.
You will not spend eternity with your grades. You will spend eternity with God.
It’s clear from the Bible that God is supposed to come first in our lives (Ex. 20:3). That means that yes, hypothetically, even your performance in school sometimes takes a seat below following Jesus. This is not an excuse to put your homework on the sideline! God’s desire is that you would be an excellent person and, in fact, the approver of the things that are excellent (Phil 1:10)—Christians are people who do their best. But they don’t do their best to impress, brag, or prove something to someone. They do their best out of thanks to God.
If there is one thing God is asking of you, student, it’s to be obedient. Be a good student by aligning your time, your purposes, your passions, and all of your mind under what God wants you to do. Being a good student and following God’s plan go hand in hand. It might take you a bit longer to study for tests than it took me—but put your best effort toward it. And pray for your diligence and patience with assignments and homework, because God uses those tests to grow you into a better wielder of His power. Those are tests that I missed out on myself since I didn’t apply myself in school. But do not opt out of the blessing of learning through God’s discipline like I did.
So, all that God has for us at school leads to accomplishing what he wants in this world. Is that the way you’ve looked at school in the past?
“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion…” (Amos 6:1a)
The fruit from the harvest of an easy, comfortable life is the continuation of brokenness in our world. In a time when youth depression skyrockets, family after family fractures, and drugs are passed from desk to desk, God put specifically you on Earth to make a difference. You might feel purposeless or useless—I tell you: approach God with empty hands. He has promised to give you the Holy Spirit to change the way things are (John 16:7-15; Rom. 8:11). Don’t wander around life without God’s mission a day longer.
Commit yourself to obeying God above all else as you begin this school year. Don’t hide your faith in Jesus from your classmates, as if that’s something to apologize for. Don’t compromise your beliefs to fit in with your peers. Represent Jesus to others by clothing yourself with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Col. 3:12). And obey God by being a diligent learner—that is part of God’s desire for you. Can you do this? (the answer is always yes in Jesus [2 Cor. 1:20]).
Don’t make my mistake when I thought that my good grades were all that was asked of me, and I was free to waste the rest of my time on distractions. No, God deserves my all. And when I didn’t put Him first, I had no idea what to do with my life. When I got right with God, understanding that Jesus died that I might be free from a worthless life of sin, and that by faith I could be born again to eternal life in Him, I not only gained full acceptance before my Judge, King—and now Father—but He also showed me my future. I had no idea what to be when I graduated. But once I first committed to obey God, the first thing He did was show me that I would serve Him in ministry. Refusing to follow Him to obtain some other earthly thing only robs you of the full and abundant life that He wants you to experience.
For you as well, God will do away with fear, doubt, and confusion if you would “seek first the kingdom” this school year (Matt. 6:33). Are you ready to see the world change? Our salvation from sin started from one single Individual. Even if it’s just you alone, start living for Him this year.