validation

as mentioned in my last post, i had breakfast with my friend paige on sunday. while talking to her, i mentioned how one of my best friends from chattanooga, ashley, surprised me for my performance on friday. it was great to see her and sweet of her to surprise me! anyways, i was telling her how nice it is to talk with people from chattanooga and from my high school because they completely understand my thinking. obviously my friends in athens listen and try to understand but its not quite the same. either way, i realized that this sense of comfort comes from a feeling of being validated. when i talk to people with similar interests and ideas of mine, it makes me more confident and peaceful about my thoughts and decisions. i met with one of my professors today and left her office feeling the same way. i am on the right track for my paper in that class and my resume that i'm sending out to employers. then i got to thinking about calculus. oh calculus. i waited till my last semester to take this required class and it hasn't been easy. this math class is time consuming but i'm also working really hard so that i can do well. (math is my subject, i should get a good grade) sometimes when i go to office hours, my teacher isn't the most friendly which makes me even harder on myself and makes me question the amount of effort i'm putting into the class. today it hit me. i'm trying in this class. yes, sometimes i forgot to complete a worksheet or i give up on one homework problem...but i'm still trying. so regardless of whether my teacher is validating my work, i need to be able to look at myself and know i've tried my hardest. and i have and will continue to until my final on may 7. everyone will look different in that class, as far as grades go, but i don't want to care about what i think my teacher thinks about me. she may be disappointed in me or think i don't make this class a priority, but i do. this is all that matters. and even more than this, i need to walk in the fact that the Lord validates me. He not only recognizes my worth but He knows it more than i do. so, today i'm asking Him to help me realize this in my life...i'm thinking this may help me not be so hard on myself. i have worth, i try hard and while i'm not perfect, i'm validated.