Applying Gratitude to College

By Carly Jayne Rullman - Christian Science Sentinel, April 10, 2006

There’s a story my mother once told me called The Devil’s Auction, which she’d heard somewhere. It goes something like this: The devil was holding an auction to sell off all his implements to the highest bidder. The tools included things like hatred, deceit, jealousy, and revenge.

But there was one special tool he set off to the side. It was a small, wedge-shaped, seemingly harmless tool, and it was more expensive than all the others. Someone asked the devil, What is that . . . and why is it priced so much higher than the other tools?

Ahh . . . that’s discouragement, the devil replied. With that tool, I can pry my way into a person’s conscience and do just about anything I want.

Then someone asked the devil, Is there anyone this tool will not work on?

Yes . . . a person with a grateful heart.

What is it about gratitude that can keep us from thinking devilish or discouraging thoughts? Being grateful puts a spotlight on what’s good in our lives. By recognizing what is good, we are cherishing life and seeing the beauty of God’s creation. It’s not always easy to feel grateful when we’re feeling down and things are not going right for us. But if we can use that weapon of gratitude and acknowledge God’s goodness in our lives, it can begin to lift us out of discouragement.

When I was little, my mother trained me early to begin looking for the good in my life. I’ll always remember when she began the practice of asking me three questions as she tucked me into bed at night. The first question was, What is one good thing that happened today? Then, she would ask, Who did something really nice? Finally, What are you grateful for? Knowing these questions were going to come up at night made me look for the answers throughout my day. I would answer things like, I got to be line leader at school today. Jed [my brother] drew me a picture. I’m grateful for having a cozy bed to sleep in. They seem like simple children’s responses, but they were full of heart—and meaningful to me. This habit of looking for the good and feeling grateful has continued to be very helpful.

Senior year of high school is a big one. It’s a year of being able to leave campus during free periods, and it’s the culmination of all the hard work we’ve done over the years. And it’s a year filled with the anticipation of college acceptance letters.

I was especially excited about applying to college, so I hurried off as many applications as time allowed to my favorite schools. I took time out on weekends to write thoughtful essays and submit my hard-earned grades. I ended up mailing five applications that met the Early-Action deadline; this way, I would find out by mid-December if I was accepted. Like every other student, I was a nervous wreck about what each school’s admissions committee would decide. But I was almost positive I would get at least one acceptance letter under my belt.

December finally came, and it was a delight to hear that my fellow classmates were becoming college-bound. Finally my time came. But my letters were all thin and weightless, with words like Thank you for your application . . . at this time, we are not ready to make a decision . . . , or We regret to inform you that we cannot offer you admission in the fall of 2005. I felt devastated and completely discouraged. It was so disheartening to think that though I had been working day and night for good grades and devoting my time to all sorts of activities, I wasn’t receiving any kind of reward. It felt as though no one wanted me.

Not long after, I found a verse in the Bible that went like this:

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared Ex. 23:20).

God says this to Moses. He tells him to have complete trust in His guidance and that He will care, govern, and lead Moses and the children of Israel to the Promised Land. After I read and understood this verse, I jotted it down on a piece of paper and thumbnailed it on my bulletin board. I knew I could learn a lot from those words, and that I should allow them to filter into my train of thought through such a time of discouragement.As the days and weeks went on, I looked for things to be grateful for. And I allowed my certainty that God had a perfect plan for me to overcome my concerns. Instead of hanging my head and feeling hopeless, I became more active in my college applications for the spring. I applied to a few other schools of interest, went to interviews, retook my SATs (twice), and scheduled vocal auditions at the music schools of some universities, since I love to sing and hoped to be accepted into their programs.

All through these efforts, I felt confident in God’s care and guidance for me—especially when I went for an audition at one of the universities’ school of music. Right before I left, my mom shared with me a verse from Job that says,

For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me (Job 23:14).

And I sang my heart out because I knew that was what God had appointed for me. My immediate acceptance into the school of music encouraged me and left me feeling grateful for the opportunity I had been given, although I decided it wasn’t the right place for me.I once heard it said that circumstances and opportunities do not create gratitude, but gratitude does much to mold circumstances and opportunities. Why then is gratitude sometimes missing from our lives? Perhaps we withhold it because we don’t feel it’s deserved. This is like refusing to put oil into a car because it’s running poorly, when oil is exactly what it needs. Gratitude has a wonderful quality of creating an expectancy of more and more good to come.

And the good did come. Every day I would call home from school and see if any mail had been sent to me from colleges. One day, my mother didn’t answer my call. Instead, I found her in the school parking lot, letter in hand, waiting for me. This letter was a thick one. It was an acceptance letter from the university I will attend next fall.

Starting with God, and thanking Him with all of our heart for all the good that unfolds itself in our lives—seen in big and small ways—blesses us.

It brings the kind of optimism that enables us to open our eyes to the present good and the good that’s to come.

Carly delivered this talk in her religion class last May as part of an assignment she and her classmates had been given by their teacher. She hopes it will help other high-school students who are—or will be—going through the college admissions process. Carly is currently a freshman at the University of Alabama, where she studies radio and television.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 1st, 2006 at 11:13 am and is filed under Anxiety, College and University. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.