"What I did this summer"

The stereotypical back-to-school question a student receives is this: What did you do this summer?

As I am attending the first classes of my senior year at Lee University, I’m fully expecting to be asked that question at least 900 more times than I already have.

The answer to said question brings to mind both happy and frustrating experiences at the same time.

Here’s a quick list of what I did in case you’re wondering:

• Went on a university trip to Germany and Austria for two weeks
• Took my first law class ever—Media Law
• Got involved with a new small group Bible study led by a couple of friends through their church
• Enjoyed some free time doing everything from reading to researching grad schools
• Spent copious amounts of time job hunting in a country where 9.1 percent of us are unemployed
• Had lots of pleasant (and quite unpleasant) things happen along the way
• Learned the value of patience in various areas of my life

There’s this cheesy commercial on TV right now with pieces of cereal dressed in party hats and the like exclaiming “Happy School Year!” as a group of children is going back to school. As groan-inducing as it was, the ad got me thinking. Starting a new school year DOES have a lot in common with starting a new calendar year.

The biggest similarity? The feeling of being faced with a chance for new beginnings. Every new semester is a chance to begin again. For that matter, so is every day. The Bible says God makes everything new. The things that have happened in the past shape the way you view the world. However, it doesn’t have to shape who you are.

I’m claiming this semester as a new beginning because I don’t want to be discouraged by past failures or cocky because of past successes. Something tells me it’s time to move on. “Happy school year” indeed. :-)