For my med school mates and I, exams are coming up in a week, and most of us are busy preparing for it. No one in med school wants to take the "Supps" (colloquial term for supplementary exams), let alone repeat Year 2. Everyone's basically looking forward to going to JB next year for our clinical attachment at the GH there. Let's not forget those in other courses who are also in the same predicament as well (and are often stereotyped to have a lot less to study compared to us for that matter). Anyhow, regardless of the amount of studying or books required to be read by each faculty, the feeling and aura here at Monash is mutual. Some (if not most) of the Monashians here have already felt or experienced pre-exam jitters, wrestling to keep both their private and professional personalities in check. Time management and prioritizing are of utmost importance during this critical period of the year!
Somehow, being caught up in all the hustle-&-bustle of preparing for both the written examinations and OSCEs (our practical examinations) has led many of us to abandon our usual routine of daily living. Packed lunches and dinners or ordering food into the university has been the norm for many students who stay back late into the night just to mug. In extreme cases, some have even skipped eating during their regular mealtimes or have given up on exercise temporarily. I even know of some students who haven't slept in days!!
On a more personal note, I've given up many of my usual activities just to fit in more study time into my already busy schedule... the one most worth mentioning is the spiritual aspect of it. I have to admit, lately I've been a little distant from God, giving up going for 365 for a month already, as well as not attending the occasional Prayer Meeting (PM) on some Friday evenings. I've even skipped my weekly Cell meetings a couple of times already. Don't worry or get me wrong, I'm not backsliding or anything of that sort. I still attend the Sunday services every week and do my regular Quiet Time. It's just that the pressure to do well for the finals has somewhat clouded my judgement and got the better of me at times.
For me, worshipping God has been one of the most enjoyable parts of going for spiritual meetings like 365 and PMs, but as mentioned earlier, it has not been done as often as before lately. When they say that things just somehow fall into place when you believe that God has a plan for your life, you'd better believe it! Somehow today, while studying, I felt God prompting me to attend PM. This took place when I was studying with a bunch of people in Monash. One of them was my close friend Suyin, who reminded me to put God first when she knew that I was contemplating whether to go for it or not. Despite having that internal struggle (due to what seemed like a never-ending pile of texts to read for the exams), a voice inside told me to go for it and reminded me to trust God. Thus, my mind was made up... I took that leap forward and decided to attend it tonight.
But for those who think the story ends here, it doesn't.
So, the story continues... After dinner, Yin & I headed for PM in my car. But alas, the jam at the Summit area on the way to church was a "killer". Upon seeing the long lines, and somewhat clusters, of cars, we both knew that we were going to be late for PM, and somehow predicted that worship would be over by the time we arrived in church. We were right. It took us literally 45 minutes just to get out of the massive jam there and arrive in church.
However, 2 good things came out of this during the jam.
(Always be optimistic & look on the bright side, Tim!)
The first: We got to sing along to some of our favourite worship songs in my car, from time to time. Just singing out loud in the car together reminded me of the simple truth that worshipping God didn't only mean that it had to be confined to a religious building like the church. What mattered was where our hearts were at that time, and whether we meant what we were singing.
"If you can't bring yourself to the place of worship, you bring the place of worship to you!"
The second: We both got to have this really long chat that we had not had in what seemed like eternity =) ... Sigh, blame it on exams! Talking to her had always been fun, with that occasional inside joke here and there, and this time was no different. I also appreciated her occasional opinions and insights that got me to think twice about certain things, especially when she told me that Arts students at Monash had just as much work as their Medical counterparts there with their assignments and reports.
"Thanx a bunch, Yin!" *hugs*
All in all, despite arriving late, today's PM was meaningful in more ways than one. Our senior pastor spoke on something that went something like, "If God calls you to accept 5 offers, don't just accept 1. Take them all! Be fruitful and multiply!" It was also good praying together with familiar and friendly faces during this divine appointment, praying in particular for Project Hebron & the Eagles' Dialysis Centre (EDC). In addition to this, we also got to hear a church member's testimony, who casted out a demon in the name of Jesus, a joyous occasion in the house of God which received a thunderous, resounding applause after it was shared. After PM ended, I had the opportunity to also catch up with friends from 365 whom I had not seen in a month or so.
Hence, it can be concluded that today was a productive one: academically, spiritually, socially, mentally, and now physically (gonna do my work-out now).
All glory be to our Lord God Almighty, author and perfecter of our faith!!
Soli Deo Gloria,
~Tim~
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