Exams of Life | Edward D. Espina

I was walking in the stairs going down for work. Suddenly, a familiar face stick in a happy corner of SM City Cagayan de Oro caught my attention. It reads, "In this season of lent, I would like to share to everyone here at SM especially to

those who strive hard,

those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,

those who aspire to achieve something especially for the purpose of education yet of low funds but has a heart to make things possible despite of certain challenges,

and to all those who never fail to thank God and ask him for guidance in everything he does,

Galatians 6:9 is for you. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not just GIVE UP."

I am an SM scholar who work for summer job at SM. The featured photo and article is from a friend whom I met as I work at SM every summer. He is a friendly and a professional person, no wonder almost all of SM scholars who works during summer is also his friend. He was like me--a poor man, but never stop dreaming despite financial difficulties. He works at SM as a sales utility clerk, and I knew he is going to school every vacant of his time. He begged to the management to change his shift to study. Now, he not graduated his dreamed course but also graduated in his dreamed university. I was very proud of him, that's why I asked his article to share it with you today, and here is it, Edward Espinas' 

  

Exams of Life

Was there a time that you are about to take an important exam and that you are so bothered whether you will pass or you will fail? Or was there a time in your life that you feel so helpless, lonely, scared and worse that you wanted to die? Well that's what I call exams of life, and in every exam, we do a lot of preparations but nevertheless there are still times that no matter what measures we make we may still fail. But, never loss hope my friends, just look above and see the sky, sometimes it looks so dark but remember behind the darkness of the clouds the sun will shine. What we need is strong heart and clear determination that if we fall, we still have to rise and conquer every challenge.

That is what I've learned in life and I would like to inculcate it to every one of--not to easily give up.

Let me share to you my friends a little bit of my story. Xavier University has been so known ever since and even when i was just a kid, i have known this prestigious university already. I dreamed that one day I may have some time to get inside there and see what it is like. I thought of that but I prayed that I would not just meander but to study there.

After high school as the normal scenario, most of my classmates were very excited and eager to take exams to whichever university they like. Someone asked me, hey! Edward where will you study? I just said, SAVE YEAR which means I have to save the year and maybe not to study but to work, knowing our financial situation and my mother got sick as well.

Later on before June started, a friend came to our house and informed me that I passed the scholarship we took, so i able to study but not at Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan. I was feeling so blessed and lucky for that news as it was a great opportunity. I took an associate course, so then I graduated after two years. I then find a work, but my dream never stop from there and I continued my prayer.

God above gave me such a nice work at SM City Cagayan de Oro and a nice people who helped me. Then I was awakened from my long time dream last October 2008 when i first came in that institution to process my enrollment. Now, I just graduated with the degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Marketing Management and dreaming to take a professional education or to master my course.

These things would not happen if I quit and surrendered, and if I gone astray to the exams of life and again put it in your minds my dear friends--that behind the darkness of the clouds the sun will rise.

May you all have a wonderful day and give time to reflect the goodness of Jesus Christ.