Hello! My name is Annie, a second year student at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. I will be working with Faith as webmasters for Illinois student chapter of Christian Veterinary Fellowship. We will be working hard to bring interesting entries of all things vet med and Christian faith bi-monthly. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at illinoiscvmf@gmail.com !  

1 Chronicles 28:20: […] Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work […] is finished.

It’s only been 3 weeks of school, but there are already caffeine-overdosed, sleep-deprived students with weary eyes that fill the classroom with the impending doom (AKA Midterms) slowly approaching. As veterinary students, we never seem to have enough time to study despite our very best effort to stay on task. I’m personally guilty of this as I write this entry that was supposed to be posted a week ago. It’s hard not to get overwhelmed when I look at my to-do list with all the tasks that must be completed before the upcoming week. This vicious cycle of anxiety, panic, and guilt repeats weekly. I can’t help but find myself constantly asking, “How am I going to get all everything done?”

How am I going to get everything done?

In 1 Chronicles 28:20, King David speaks about the task that God had planned for his son, Solomon. He ensures that no matter how arduous of a task it may be, Solomon is guaranteed to find success because God is with him. It’s hard to remember this simple act of faith when we are chasing deadlines and fighting to stay afloat. However, once we realize that we are not alone we don’t have to worry about failures. It’s not by our own strength that we will accomplish what’s laid in front of us, but through the strength of Almighty-Creator-of-Heaven-and-Earth-Majestic-King-of-King God Himself: Yeah, no big deal when you put things in perspective, huh? Instead, we can start focusing on completing each task and use it to testify  God’s grace and love for us.

Guaranteed to find success because God is with him

So when you find yourself under the pile of papers with anatomy structures to memorize, purple and pink microscopic images, and NAVLE booklets — think of the sweet, lovable Blue Tang fish and “just keep swimming”. God will be with you every step (or paddle) of the way.

– Annie