By Charles Jardine
Assistant Editor
In my fifth semester in college, things could not be moving faster. If it weren’t for my online class, I don’t think I’d even know we just completed the eighth week of the semester.
After a couple of major changes, I am still taking too many hours of classes, working and trying to find the time to succeed athletically.
The truth is I feel burnt out. My academics are going decently, but it’s not something I feel proud of. Work is work – it’s something I enjoy doing but often struggle to complete amongst all the other things.
Before a couple of weeks ago athletics was my escape. I throw shot put for the university and was able to forget all other things while doing it.
When the other two waves of my life seemed to be crashing, this one helped keep me afloat.
However, like all things in life there are ups and downs. When shot put started to decline, the realization of the other areas of my life became even more apparent.
Amid the distress, I hunkered down spending the majority of my time solely focusing on school, work and athletics, but I knew something was missing.
Last week I was at practice, and my coach asked me how things were going other than throwing. To that I told him I felt burnt out and that it seemed like there weren’t enough hours in the day.
I told him my sleep had suffered, dwindling from eight to about six and a half hours. I told him that I felt isolated, which was mostly my fault for choosing to work rather than hangout.
My coach, Coach Rue, in his 79 years of wisdom told me I was focusing on the wrong things. Although he is not Catholic, he is a devout Christian and reminded me that the wave that would never crash is Christ’s wave.
He reminded me that I cannot live apart from God and cannot let the busyness of my day to distract from him.
This is a reminder that I wanted to extend to everyone because great things happen when God is placed in the center of your life.
Only a week and a half later, things in my life seem all the more accomplishable. Though my academics are still difficult and athletics performance is still in a lull, things are going better.
It’s not that I’m not upset with my athletic performance and trying to do everything I can to get out of the lull or that I’m doing my best academically, but placing my identity in Christ reminds me that my worth is not in my athletic, work or academic performance.
Neither is yours. Your identity is in being a son or daughter of God. You are made in His image and likeness.
Remember that no matter how bad things may seem, how burnt out you may be or how hopeless the situation is, through God all things are possible.