I am not proud of the following, but let me list for you the problems with my 15-page paper that’s due tomorrow (it’s comparing and contrasting predestination in Calvinism and various views of Islam).
1. I don’t even understand what I wrote.
2. I don’t think it actually has a thesis.
3. I have never done a paper in Chicago style before and the teacher didn’t teach us at all.
4. My professor is a theology professor, so I can’t really make stuff up.
5. It’s too late to do anything about this.
6. My attention span is so short right now that I can’t read the paper comprehensively because by the time I get to the end I forget what the beginning was about..it’s only 15 pages..and I wrote it…
7. I tried to change my topic but didn’t…but I really should have because my interest/passion for this topic is in the negatives.
So these are mostly problems with me that greatly impact my paper. I’m so ready for this semester to be done! Well, time to go do some relaxation activities to reduce stress so I can actually sleep before 2:30 am 🙂
A Little Charisma 
Hmmm. This sounds sooooooo familiar. Just take out the word “paper” and replace it with “sermon.”
But it’s still must be turned in/delivered. And you feel kinda yucky. OK, maybe *really* yucky. And your prof/the congregation grimaces, shrugs and thinks to him/her/their self/selves: “Oh well, hopefully next time will be better.”
And the worse part is you worked hard on this paper/sermon. And you prayed. And you trusted. And you weren’t lazy. And you did the “right thing.” But it still turned out crappy.
What does that all mean? It means that we aren’t living in the new heavens and new earth yet. It means that despite our best efforts, sometimes all that comes up is thistles and thorns. It means that we pick up our pens and sit down at our computers next week praying, “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done…” and we don’t quit. And we don’t let that little sneaky evil voice tell us that we are worthless pieces of junk. Because we just aren’t!
And we turn that suspicion that God kind of let us down into a recognition that he never promised us complete success, but he does promise not to leave us or forsake us. And he even promises to turn failure into faithfulness and take every part of every moment of our lives and weave them into something beautiful–in His time and in His way.
Love ya!
Dad
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