OPINIONS

OPINIONS

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Christmas story gives hope to those who feel unworthy

BY SARA PATTERSON Editor-In-Chief

There is a mistake in this newspaper somewhere. If you look hard enough, you will find it. After a semester of doing this job, I can guarantee this almost with certainty. Whether it’s a misspelled word or a space that shouldn’t be there, I can always find something that I should have caught before sending it to the printer. Whenever I find one of these mistakes, it weighs on my mind for the rest of the day. I lose faith in my ability to do this. I feel like an imposter.

The term “imposter syndrome” has gained popularity in recent years. According to Psychology Today, people who experience imposter syndrome “believe that they are undeserving of their achievements and the high esteem in which they are, in fact, generally held.”

When I realize that I have made a mistake, it is very difficult for me to accept any compliment as truth. When someone tells me that I’m doing a good job, I find myself fighting the urge to exclaim, “Really? Me?”

These words remind me of Mary’s story in the first chapter of Luke. Luke 1:28 says that the angel Gabriel greeted Mary in this way: “Greetings favored woman! The Lord is with you.” Verse 29 says, “But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be.”

An angel of the Lord has just appeared before Mary’s eyes, and the text says that she is deeply troubled by his statement rather than by his divine appearance.

In a greater sense than you and I experience, Mary likely felt like an imposter. She probably did not see herself as a “favored woman.”

Out of all of the prestigious people and places in the world at the time, God sent the angel Gabriel to a young, unmarried woman in the small town of Nazareth to inform her that she would be the mother of the Light of the world. God intentionally chose her for this grand opportunity.

“When we walk with God, we can walk with

confidence.” -Sara Patterson

Though we can rest assured that God will not task any of us with parenting the long-awaited Messiah, He will call us to tasks, positions and careers that we may be convinced we are not ready for. Beyond our specific callings, God also calls all of His followers to glorify Him and to share the gospel. While we should work diligently to prepare for all that God calls us to, we should also trust He will make us ready to walk through the doors that He opens. When we walk with God, we can walk in confidence. This confidence comes from relying on Him.

Mary did not agree to follow through with the task because she bolstered up enough self-assuredness to be the mother of Jesus. Rather, she concluded: “I am God’s servant. May it be done to me according to your word” (v. 38). God is the one who calls us, orders our steps and prepares us well for the future.

As we embark on this overlapping season of Advent and finals week, let us look to God and trust in Him as we glorify Him in our work. In humility may we value what God says about us more than what we think about ourselves.

Students eat midnight cinnamon rolls in the cafeteria during finals week at the end of the spring semester last May. Students enjoy commemorating the end of each semester with this finals week tradition. (photo by Caity Hatchett)

How to thrive during finals week

BY VALERIA GOMEZ Staff Writer

Finals week is around the corner: days are going by fast, and it feels like each day does not have quite enough hours.

Assignments, group projects, presentations, papers and exams are all due the same week, and stress levels are rising. Here are five tips to help you survive finals week. 1. Use your time wisely. During finals week, you only go to class to take your exam. You will have more time than you would on a regular week since you won’t have to attend all of your classes each day. Utilize this time to be productive and avoid procrasinating. Seek help if you need it, but seek it in time and not the night before your exam. People want you to succeed and are willing to help. 2. Prioritize sleep. Your brain needs sleep to function. Especially if you have an

8 a.m. exam, go to bed early and get enough sleep. If by 10 p.m. you have not memorized the content, you are probably not going to memorize it when you are exhausted and burned out, so give yourself grace and rest. You do not want to be falling asleep in the middle of your exam. Sleep determines a lot of your academic performance, so prioritize it. 3. Take care of your health. Food is fuel, and fuel is important to keep your body moving. Your brain also needs food to work. During finals week, you are memorizing and doing so much that the least you could do is make sure you are getting enough nutrients and water. Encourage your friends to do the same; friends who motivate each other, stay together. 4. Reward yourself. This is the last stretch. Everyone is tired and just trying to do their best. Have an incentive to keep you going until your exams are done. Have something to look forward to

that will keep you going even when you start to feel unmotivated. Find a reward brings you joy and keep that promise to yourself.

5. Eat cinnamon rolls in the cafeteria for the memories.

When you reach the end, after you get done with your exams, all you are going to have left is the memories you created that week. Allow yourself to enjoy finals week instead of letting it consume you with fear or stress. One of the best things Ouachita has is their midnight cinnamon rolls in the cafeteria. It’s one of the best traditions and you don’t want to miss it. This is the one night when you should sacrifice going to bed early. If you do it with friends, you will all remember this time forever.

Remember that grades do not define who you are, and this is just a temporary season of life. Don’t give up, you have made it this far! Pat yourself on the back and be kind to others as we take on the last week of the semester together.