By Julius Gingles '21
Don’t be too hard on yourself,
You are doing your best.
Pick up your Bible from the shelf,
And God will handle the rest.
Rest in His presence, be ready to receive
A Word from His lips, will you believe?
He has always been there
I just turned 22 but I feel much older
Time has flown by so quickly
My beard has gone through its cycles
I have made lifelong friends and
I have parted ways with a few but
I praise God that He has shown His love through every single one of them
He has always been there
There will always be a part of me that wishes I used my time differently over the years
What if I studied a little longer for that exam?
What if I didn’t spend an entire day watching YouTube and completed my homework?
What if I made more spontaneous plans with friends when I needed some company?
What if I had more perseverance to adapt to this pandemic that we are in?
There will always be “what if’s” but God knew where I’d be today
He has always been there
One thing I will take away from my time at Brown University is this:
Pure and genuine satisfaction in life comes from the Lord alone
There is nothing like the joy and peace that comes from His presence
No friendship, grade, or accolade can ever compare to His goodness
No circumstance or hardship is worth compromising faith in Him
I am loved and made worthy by God and in that, I am fulfilled
He has always been there
Pray for me
My faith has had so many ups and downs these past few years
I have had my bouts with doubt and not knowing my purpose
Double-mindedness and compromise in faith have been a part of my journey
Forgive me Lord for all of the times I looked to temporary solutions
Remind me of the precious gift of life, I pray I won’t forget
He is the solution that never fails me
I am 22 and I don’t have everything together
And the great thing is that I don’t need to
There is grace beyond measure that holds me up
There is mercy for the mistakes I have made in the past
There is love from those who have stuck by me for so long
Even though these past few years have been a roller coaster, I am grateful
He has not given up on me
Don’t be too hard on yourself,
You are doing your best.
Pick up your Bible from the shelf,
And God will handle the rest.
Rest in His presence, be ready to receive
A Word from His lips, will you believe?
He will always be there
“For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.” Psalm 86:10-11, ESV
Illustration by Jocelyn Salim '23