Scripture of the Day - Paul (Phil. 4:13)

This past week was finals week at Cal Poly and I barely survived it for a variety of reasons. These reasons included the fact I came into the week a bit behind and had to get caught up AND also actually complete my finals. These finals were all project-based and, to varying degrees and in differing ways, difficult. It seems many/most of the members of my teaching credential cohort struggled to varying degrees under both the quantity of assignments and the sometimes difficult-to-grasp expectations of the instructors.

I also was dealing with my continued recovery from the mental-emotional-psychological-spiritual damage I incurred earlier in the quarter with some family stuff which saw me being able to be strong during the crisis but then experience a bit of a mental-emotional collapse after things stabilized. Then there was my annual onset of S.A.D.

Then there is the fact this time of year features the death anniversaries of the two primary male figures in my life who died when I was in high school, one my freshman year and the other my senior year. Nary a year passes I do not think and reflect upon these anniversaries. If you have been following this blog you know these deaths had a profound and abiding impact on my life to which I am still sorting out and trying to recover and onward move.

Then there is the deepest level of causation and that has been the spiritual attack I have endured as the Enemy has attempted to distract and discourage me. Indeed, I have repeatedly felt like I was in over my head in this adventure and contemplated dropping out of the course. Yet, God's grace abounds and abides and I passed all my classes despite barely surviving one of them. One of the several passages of Scripture that got me through the past week and became one of my mantras was the verse below:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ (Philippians 4:13 [KJV])