A father’s letter to his children preparing for exams

Dear Children,
I hope this letter reaches you in time of good health. Everything here, your mom, grandmother and grandfather, and everyone in the village, are doing fine. Last Sunday, our Pastor led a special prayer for you and all others invoking God’s blessings during your exams.
I know you all will do well, for you are good children. I have trust in your school teachers and your tutors; it is said, ‘show me your friend, and I will tell you who you are. Show me your teacher, and I will tell you what you will become’. Therefore, I believe your teachers, their vocation blessed by God, their learned minds inspired by the books they’ve read, and their guidance through the years have well prepared you, not just for this exam but for your life ahead.
At this moment, sometimes you might be wondering ‘what next? After this exam…’ But do not worry about the future. I believe you always keep the Bible by your pillow and read it every morning. Just trust in the Lord. The future will take care of itself. Remember Cardinal Newman, in his poem ‘Lead Kindly Light’, he poignantly prayed, “…keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see/The distant scene; one step enough for me’. So, one step at a time, one exam at a time, led on gently by God.
Your mom and I, years backs, when we were young like you, full of life and hope, our minds and soul unsullied by the cares of the world, had also appeared exams. I know the exam pressure and the tension that you might be feeling every moment of your life. Sometimes it might get too overwhelming, and therefore, I would like to advise you to calm down and do not get too anxious about how you would fare. Whatever the result, how well or how poorly, you might fare in your exams, you will be achievers in our eyes. A wise man once said, ‘children don’t know how much their parents love them until they have children’; so, with our unconditional love and prayers, go and give your best.
Remember, life has lots of ups and downs. Exams are not the ends of your life; it is just a means to life. Remember also that exams and achievements are not by themselves what we call ‘Life’. So, try to ask what is life? Define it, and perhaps you will get a whole new perspective of the meaning of life.
Years back, I did ask the same question myself. What is life? Sadly, I asked that question quite late in life; after all the adventures and experiences, after the failures and successes, the laughter and tears, there comes a time when we have to sit back and ask, ‘what is life?’
For me, when I was young, there was a song, it goes like this, “Lord make me an instrument, an instrument of worship…” inspired me and lead me to realize the meaning of life. And so, though I am not the most religious of all, yet silently in my own world, I try to worship Lord, even if it is just in through and simple actions. Surely, as you go on with life, you will get better perspective and those will lead your life’s direction. But, always remember what Mother Teresa once said, ‘At the end, it will be just between you and God’.
What a sad life it would be, if we achieve the world, but at deathbed, we cannot make peace with our Creator. What a sad life it would be, if you become rich and famous, but not a good person. Your exams are tests, not just for your academic career, but also tests for your character. Apart from the marks you secure in each subject, the most important marks would be the abstract marks which you will collect and be imprinted forever on your personality. Those will be the true marks that would determine your life and those abstract marks will demonstrate who and what you are in future.
Therefore, exams are also tests of character. It is about how calm you can be under pressure; how reassured you are even when you fare poorly in a subject; and most importantly, about how much you trust and love yourself. With each Class, with each exam, you should grow and you will grow; not only in years and intellect, but also as a person. And the ultimate goal in life should be about becoming a good person. That and that alone, being a good person, in blessings and achievements, and even in the midst of loss and adversity, will eventually give meaning to your life.
The world is a big place and it has something for every one of us. We just have to ask God to show us the way so that we might fit into his plan and become an ‘instrument of worship’ in His grand design. Every action, however small done in good faith just like saying a simple ‘thank you’ or helping out someone, can also be a form of worship. So, being a good person by itself can, in its broadest sense, a form of worship too.
Therefore, dear children, remember that no prayer goes answered. The only thing is that our human minds cannot comprehend God’s replies to our prayers. So, pray anyway. After all, at the end, when everything and everyone seems lost and gone, He will be the only one standing beside you. Please, never lose hope and never give up; for giving up in life, is a cruel action, not only to yourself but also to your dear and loved ones.
At the end, prepare well, be disciplined, read with open minds, write with full confidence, hope for the best. May the heavenly Angels guard you, May God open your minds, keep you gentle souls at ease and be with you, as always. Good night.
Yours lovingly,
John Drump Longchar
Mokokchung