The 2018 Bible Conference closes today, and we will have the weekend to prepare for classes to resume once again on Monday. The spring semester seems to fly by, especially after Bible Conference.

Much like after spring break in March, it may be difficult to get back into the “classes mood” after three days of homework free bliss.

But with two and a half months left, we have to put our best efforts forward as we strive for completing the year.

Before summer can bring Netflix, sunburns, vacations, lazy days and an unhealthy amount of junk food, we have to finish what we began here in January.

Procrastination is the enemy. In a few weeks, projects that once seemed a semester away will say “due tomorrow.” Working ahead can prevent a lot of stress and a lot of late nights.

It has been said a thousand times. College isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon.  We have to pace ourselves for the road ahead. The finish line is approaching faster than we may think.

If your semester isn’t going the way you wanted it to, remember the 2001 Patriots started the season 1-3 before taking Tom Brady to his first Super Bowl victory. There is still time to turn things around.

Quitting is the easy way out. Giving up on something after starting is the norm. It’s the fate of many books, puzzles and New Year’s resolutions.

While quitting might be normal and even natural, the true test of character is your ability to push through the desire to quit and finish what you start.

In his most recent sermon in this semester’s series, Dr. Pettit affirmed the necessity of unpleasant situations and even pain in building character. Who knows this truth better than freshmen at BJU?

Freshmen, in a couple of months you will officially be college veterans. You will have survived your first year of college, thought by many to be the most difficult because of all the transition.

You’ve survived this long, and you’ll be able to survive the rest of college as well.

The journey ahead won’t always be easy, and things won’t always go as planned. But the hard stuff is all a part of the growing process. It’s the stuff that makes college so memorable and so valuable.

Seniors, you’ve made it through seven and a half semesters of college and over a month of your final term.

With graduate school applications, job interviews and maybe even wedding preparations, “senioritis” is sure to creep in at some point, maybe even already.

If it has, find ways to become more organized. Having a schedule or a checklist will help to finish unwanted or difficult tasks. Checking off items on a daily list will help take a procrastinated project into a finished product we can take pride in.

In 76 days, after the last 2018 graduate walks across the stage, we can let ourselves go on vacation. Until then, let’s find ways to push through to the end.