Testimony of God's Goodness

     Each semester seems to go by faster and faster each year! I want to take some time to reflect on God's goodness and sovereignty and share a bit of what God has done in my life throughout the last semester (I've been meaning to write this blog post for a while, but it's been hard to get back into writing blogposts after a while). A lot of people have asked me during the fall semester if my classes were difficult. Every semester in college is difficult - so I replied that yes, it was difficult. However it was difficult in a different sense than my previous semester had been. My spring semester of freshman year, I took BSCI207 (Principles of Biology III) and CHEM241 (Organic Chemistry II) which were really difficult classes. I spent a lot of time studying for both classes because they both required time to understand the material. However this semester, I took Genetics and General Chemistry II (gen chem 2), which were still difficult classes but easier than Principles of Biology II and Organic Chemistry II. God also provided new opportunities and I began my first year as a youth group teacher as well as a Guided Study Sessions (GSS) leader for Principles of Biology III. Both provided great learning experiences in leading small groups. I thank God for these opportunities!
      I also had to take gen chem 2 lab, which turned out to be more difficult than I expected it to be. In the beginning it was difficult to adjust to because you had to be very detailed oriented to do well in the class with significant figures and calculations. After a low grade on my third lab report, I began to ask God for help for each lab report. And it's amazing how God brought me through this class! These lab reports took the minimum of four hours each week. In high school, I would do all my work in the weekends before hanging out with my friends or work ahead so I wouldn't get behind (Yes, I would do homework on Friday nights). However, I found myself unable to do any serious schoolwork over the weekends this past semester due to events and meetings. This was really stressful because I would have to do all my work and studying during the weekdays. However, God never failed to provide and I began to do well in gen chem 2!
     ...Until I was looking through my gen chem lab folder over Thanksgiving break only to realize I had forgotten to turn in my lab report the last lab. Ironically I went to lab early that week. I was trying to figure out what the lab that week was going to be like because it seemed like my lab mates also had no idea what was happening. And so, I completely forgot to turn in my lab report (it was completed and in my folder in lab). I emailed my TA and even asked my professor, but they wouldn't accept the late lab report. So I couldn't do anything but take the 0 for the lab report. And so I received a 10/75 for that lab (10 points from prelab quiz and notebook). At that point, it dropped my grade 7.5%.
     Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Even though it was difficult to see and believe the good at the moment, I trusted that God would use this situation for his glory. Although this was near the end of the semester, there were a lot more points to be earned in the class with 3 more lab reports, a second midterm, and the final. I ended up doing well on the midterm and final. And due to the curve, I got an A in gen chem 2 lab! I thank God for helping me with each lab report, midterm, and the final. And I am so thankful for my parents and friends who prayed for me. Also (this may be something small) in the syllabus, my professor said the lab reports were going to be worth a certain percentage of our grade and our tests were going to be worth a certain percentage of our grade as well. Somehow he exceeded the points for the lab reports and had to scale back our grade to what he said in the syllabus. While this brought down some people's grade, I think this actually helped raised my grade. Just through all this, I see God's sovereign hand over my life. It's hard to believe we're at the end of December and beginning 2015 very soon. 2014 has been a really exciting year for me and it really has been a year of creativity! I am also looking forward to all that God has in store for us in 2015! (I'll try to write more reflections because it's been too long!).

God is good. All the time.