A Tortoise, a Hare and a Dream
By Sister Asha King
I’ve come to the conclusion that it is much easier to throw in the towel and give up, than to continue pursuing your dreams. Even though we sacrifice and put in so much work into something, we still find ourselves raising the white flag. I don’t understand how someone can go so far, just to quit. In order to chase your goals, dreams and aspirations you have to climb that rocky mountain and encounter and dodge the obstacles. The road may be rough, but don’t quit!
We tend to set our goals down and put them aside, thinking we will pick them back up later, but we do not. Instead, we must carry our goals with us everywhere we go. Don’t worry about your past. That has nothing to do with your future. The ONLY time you ever need to look back on your life is to see how far you’ve come. What is in front of you is far better than what was behind you. Therefore, you have to make it to the finish line! You don’t have to be like the hare, and rush your goals to come to pass. Simply speak it into existence, and God will make a way. Take your time, and climb that same rocky mountain at your own pace. If anything, have the spirit of the tortoise.
I am currently a sophomore in college at Northern Virginia Community College. At the beginning of the semester, my mom and I filled out my financial aid very early, only to find out it did not go through. At that point I was concerned – FAFSA was due two weeks from when I discovered that my paperwork hadn’t gone through. I’m not going to lie, I was panicking! All I could think about was where I was going to get the money to go to school? I had just started working not too long ago, but I knew I couldn’t pay out of pocket. School has always been something very important to me. No matter what I had to go. Fast forward to the due date, my financial aid still didn’t go through after multiple attempts, but I trusted in God and still put all the classes that I wanted in my cart.
After multiple emails, and no response from anyone I started to grow impatient. Just then, I felt my faith waiver a little bit, but I continued to pray and ask the Lord for patience, because I really wanted to go to school. I finally got an email back, and they told me they would postpone the deadline for my tuition until the situation was resolved. Determined to go to school no matter what, the staff that was working with me quickly found a solution to my problem, and all was well. They informed me that my money for my tuition will be there within a few business days.
When I finally received my financial aid, I realized that I would not have enough to pay for school and buy my books. I wasn’t unhappy with the amount I received, but instead I thanked God for blessing me with the ability to still attend school. Not even a week later, I went back online to check if everything was working out smoothly with my school, and God yet again blessed me. The money that I had initially received increased so much, that I was able to pay my full tuition, buy all my books and software needed for school, and still had a little left over for myself.
I did not give up on my dream, but instead I continued to trust in God and let him handle the situation. I could have easily thrown in the towel, raised my white flag, and said I’ll just wait with school. But I was strong-minded, and refused to give up. In the end, look at what God did for me. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” You don’t have to finish first – finishing in general is a great accomplishment. All you need is patience! Throughout this race, as you seek to conquer your dreams, don’t even pay attention to your competitors, because they are merely an obstacle to distract you. As a matter of fact, don’t even stress over where your competition is in the race. They may be far ahead of you, but this race is solely for you. Occasionally it is okay to stop for water, but make sure you continue to chase after your dreams. If you can’t run anymore, walk; if you can’t walk anymore, crawl – just make sure you don’t stop. Just remember that the hare thought he was so far ahead, that he stopped and took a nap. Stay awake and alert, and continue the race to your dreams one prayer at a time. There will be trials, tests and tribulations that you have to go through, but in the end you will get the victory!