But God Can Do It

Today was my first day of classes for the spring semester, and I always approach this day with a sense of both excitement and fear. One part of me can't wait to get started with my first round of clinicals, but the other part of me stacks up all the schedules and says there is no way I can do all this. Maybe I just get overwhelmed too easily, but the first day of classes always seems to freak me out. I lay in bed with my head spinning trying to figure out how I am going to take seventeen hours of difficult classes while balancing club stuff, activities, projects, and committments so that I still have time to spend with the people who matter to me the most. But I have been bombarded with this stress every semester, and it always turns out okay. So I have to remind myself over and over that it is not going to be as bad as it seems. I am like the little engine, telling myself, "I think I can...I think I can...I think I can..." as I chug up another hill.

The time of the new year tends to make people feel the same way. In fact, some people are now saying that new year resolutions are pointless and even harmful because they are just too hard to accomplish. Why set yourself up for failure and disappointment? they say. But I believe that God designed us to push forward, to run the race marked out for us. What better way to remind ourselves of that purpose than to set goals?

As this new year rolls around and comes into full swing, I am fully convinced that setting goals will help us grow closer to the Lord. And I am also convinced that no matter how hard the tasks ahead of us seem, we can do it because Christ is our strength. It may seem impossible to accomplish our tasks or goals on our own effort, but that's okay because God is fighting for us. And He is mighty strong! So instead of saying, "I think I can...I think I can..." as we chug up our mountains, let us fix our eyes on Christ and proclaim, "I know God can!" We may not be able on our own, but God can absolutely do it.