“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” – Philippians 4:10

Time and time again, we find ourselves feeling great and looking forward to the day and in a split second, we waver in that feeling and our entire day is ruined. It may have been something that we saw, something that was said to us or our own thoughts that disturb our peace. If you are a college student, the thing that is currently trying to steal your joy, to ruin your day, and stress you out, are finals.

But what I have, I hope, is a new outlook for us all about the way we approach finals or any obstacle in life, really. In order to maintain our joy, especially amidst obstacles or challenges of any sort, we must first have it. It is not something that we can work for like a grade. It is something that God has given us all and should we choose to access it, it is there for us. Joy is not happiness. In fact, it is much more. Happiness is a mood, changing like the weather or day. However, joy is a perpetual state of contentedness. It does not mean that life does not get difficult, and it certainly doesn’t mean finals are any less imminent. However, it is a continual practice of building yourself up so that people and other outside forces do not tear you down.

It is not merely a positive attitude, but it’s accepting things as they come. Perhaps, we might even grow to embrace these unexpected things because, in my experience, challenges and adversity only make us better. Life does not guarantee many things, but we know it is not easy. While we cannot control all the things that happen to us, we can control our own response to the things that life and God hands to us. We choose how we react to situations and in order to keep our heads above water, if that is what we want, we must choose joy every time.

So, how do we approach finals without allowing them to hinder our joy? We’ve discussed unexpected hurdles and how we must soar above in order to succeed, but finals are not one of them; they come with the territory of attending college. It is a busy time as we balance papers, tests, and projects, but it doesn’t have to kill us. Gandhi said that we must be the change we wish to see in the world. If you want peace during this stressful time, then you must embody it. If you don’t want to be stressed out, then don’t stress yourself out. If you don’t want negativity in your life, especially during this time, then not only must you avoid negative energy, you must avoid being negative. Most importantly, if you want joy, you must claim it for yourself. Everything begins and ends with us.