Anonymous/Presence Editing Department
Editing Department: What obstacles, difficulties, or challenges have you experienced in life? How did God help you overcome? What did you learn, and how have you grown from those experiences?
We hope that this blog post will encourage you to examine your life experiences, and may God’s grace continue to guide you through your life journey.
I was a student with excellent academic performance in elementary school. As a class prefect, I was well trusted by teachers and loved by my fellow classmates. My positive self-image made me feel good about myself. When I moved onto middle school, I was successfully admitted to the best EMI (English as Medium of Instruction) school in the district due to my outstanding grades.
However, after entering into the EMI middle school, I had difficulty adjusting to the curriculum and finding the right study method. With no one there to guide me, my grades plummeted, and my self-image also took a dive. In the second year, I was assigned to a remedial class mainly for students with unsatisfactory grades. I am grateful that I DID NOT give up. As I put in more effort, my grades improved, and I was finally re-assigned to a more ideal class.
Since my weakest subject was mathematics, I chose to study liberal arts classes in high school. Even so, I still needed to pass math in order to graduate from high school. Therefore, I spent a lot more time reviewing math daily than my other subjects, hoping that would be enough for me to do well on the exams. Sadly, I failed math in both my high school graduation examination and the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and was not qualified to graduate. I had to repeat the last year of high school as well as retake these examinations. These failing results totally shattered my confidence. I had considered myself a hard-working student but was hit with the reality that no matter how hard I tried, I could not graduate. I was depressed, confused, and could not see any value in myself. Moreover, after spending one whole day of searching around, I was still unable to find a school that would enroll me as a repeating high school student. It was a painful experience, and I felt totally lost and trapped.
Fortunately, the encouragement from God and my dad helped me rise again from all the setbacks. God assured me that He is pleased with those who are faithful: if I try my best to be faithful in my studies, He will open doors for me. My dad’s comfort and encouragement also became my strength as I faced these predicaments. I am grateful that, at the end, I not only found a school to repeat the year, but also had a new math teacher who would explain the steps and methods of each calculation clearly, so that I finally understood math. In addition, some brothers at church guided me in drilling on previous practice tests in order for me to get familiarized with the test format. As a result, at my second attempt on the HKCEE, I passed math with a satisfactory grade and was able to regain my self confidence.
I then moved onto college and majored in Social Work. What I learned in my studies helped inspire my personal growth. Slowly, my self-image was rebuilt, and this was very significant for my future life. After college graduation, I became a social worker and found fulfillment in my line of work. I was content to exert my God-given talent by serving those in need.
Looking back at the different stages of life, I have experienced a lot of tough challenges and have shed many tears. It has not been easy, and I am surprised to see how I have come through. As I take a closer look, I see God’s grace and help through every step of the way. I realize that as long as I rely on Him, nothing is impossible. Surely, there will still be unpredictable or harsh obstacles ahead; however, I AM confident that I can overcome because God walks alongside me. I am also grateful for the “angels” in my life who have helped and encouraged me. Their presence and love have brought light to the despaired and have helped others appreciate themselves.
Thoughts/Prayers:
1) What obstacles, difficulties, or challenges have you experienced in life? How did God help you overcome? What did you learn, and how have you grown from those experiences?
2) In the midst of challenges, did God send someone to help you? Be thankful for these encounters in life.
3) Are you experiencing any obstacles, difficulties, or challenges now? Ask God to give you confidence, strength, courage, and joy to face them. (Proverbs 3:5-6, Philippians 4:11-13, Joshua 1:7-9, Romans 5:3-5)
4) When faced with trepidations and problems of yourself, the people around you, or even the society, ask God to give you hope and to always remember how He had carried you through life challenges in the past.
Presence Quotient®, also known as Presence, is a Christian 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides tools and training to help individuals and families apply Christian and family values to their everyday lives.
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