So, One’s School Grades Can’t Decide His Destiny

By Xiaojie

In summer, the scorching sun shone the ground directly and people felt extremely restless just like being in a sauna.

In the examination hall, Xiaoxiao, just like all examinees in this exam, was driving her task onward, immersing herself in the papers. She ignored her sweat slipping down from her forehead because at that time every second was so precious to her. It was her first turning point in her life—the entrance examination for high school, which would bear upon her future. Hence, she believed only if she got a good grade would she have a good prospect in the future.

Although her grade was not very good and she was listed in the group of poor students all the time, what else could she do? The reality is that in school, teachers evaluate students through their grades. At home, parents also regard grades as precious as invaluable treasures, because they believe that only if children get good grades can they be admitted into a good school and then have a good job and a good prospect. It seems that this unwritten rule has already been set up long ago, which everyone has to obey.

The bell rang, announcing the end of the last exam.

Xiaoxiao walked out of the exam hall with leaden steps. At that moment, she knew that the result had been determined whether it was good or bad. She went home with complicated feelings. 

During the days when waiting for the results, Xiaoxiao always felt heavy at heart as if there was a big stone inside. She was afraid that she couldn’t be admitted into the high school. However, she had to face it eventually.

“Xiaoxiao, you scored 392.”

Upon hearing the sentence, Xiaoxiao raised her head with shock. She was very clear that this grade meant she wouldn’t even have the opportunity to enter into an ordinary high school. What should she do? Xiaoxiao didn’t know.

After coming back home, she rushed into her room and threw herself onto her bed, crying. She thought that she was doomed to be a good-for-nothing all her life. Not being admitted into high school, would she really have to go to a technical secondary school? She was not willing to just learn a specialty to support herself.

On an afternoon several days later, Xiaoxiao, lying on her bed, with a heavy heart when she heard knocking at the door.

It was Aunt Li, a friend of her mother.

After Aunt Li came into the room, Xiaoxiao sat there with her head down, with no words and smile as usual. Her aunt felt there was something wrong with her and then asked, “Xiaoxiao, what’s wrong with you? It seems that you are unhappy.” She replied in a low tone, “I didn’t do well in this entrance exam for high school and I definitely cannot go to high school. Then I can’t go to the university, what will my future be like? Isn’t my prospect doomed?”

Aunt Li smiled when hearing this, and she said tranquilly, “Xiaoxiao, you see, are our destinies in our own hands? Actually, there are many students like you. Some can’t go to universities regardless of their great efforts, but some can make it easily. These are not controlled by us. We shouldn’t always want to be in control of our own destinies, otherwise we will be very painful. As a saying goes, ‘Man’s life is fated by Heaven,’ we should hand our own fate to God and let Him administer it. What your future is like has already been arranged by God long ago, and it’s not decided by a good educational background.”

Xiaoxiao nodded, but she didn’t completely agree with her aunt. Because she still thought only if she could get into high school and university could she have a good prospect.

Although she insisted on her own thought, faced with the fact before her, she had no choice but to go to the technical secondary school to learn a specialty.

Two years later, Xiaoxiao was faced with internship and employment problems. Thinking of the failure to go to the high school because of her bad grades, she always felt regret inside. She once supposed that if she had entered into high school, maybe she would have a better future. At this time she came across difficulties again. Now according to the school’s arrangement, on that day of choosing an internship, students must choose a proper company according to their specialties. But if they couldn’t meet the company’s standards, then they still couldn’t find a job. Also, there would be limits on the number of employees in every company, and if the vacancy had been filled, the students would lose the chance.

Coming back home, Xiaoxiao mulled it over in her mind and didn’t know what to do. One day, some friends of her mother dropped by her house and had a chat with her. During the talk, she told them her trouble. Hearing it, one aunt said, “My child had also once been in a daze like you, but later we found the answer in God’s words. Let’s read togther.” 

The aunt read a passage of God’s words to her that said, “Some people choose a good major in college and end up finding a satisfactory job after graduation, making a triumphant first stride in the journey of their lives. Some people learn and master many different skills and yet never find a job that suits them or find their position, much less have a career; at the outset of their life journey they find themselves thwarted at every turn, beset by troubles, their prospects dismal and their lives uncertain. Some people apply themselves diligently to their studies, yet narrowly miss all their chances to receive a higher education, and seem fated never to achieve success, their very first aspiration in the journey of their lives dissolving into thin air. Not knowing whether the road ahead is smooth or rocky, they feel for the first time how full of variables human destiny is, and so regard life with hope and dread. Some people, despite not being very well educated, write books and achieve a measure of fame; some, though almost totally illiterate, make money in business and are thereby able to support themselves….”

Reading this, Xiaoxiao couldn’t help being shaken by God’s words. She felt that God understood mankind so well. What’s more, just like what God’s words say, “how full of variables human destiny is,” indeed, many things can’t be realized according to our thoughts even though we have tried hard. Like herself, no matter how hard she worked, her grades were always bad and in the end she couldn’t go to high school, which seemed that it was meant to be. Recalling the period when she knew she couldn’t go to high school, she thought her life was doomed and meaningless. Since then, she had been confused and fearful about her future and she couldn’t see the road ahead, let alone know how to walk every step of the rest of her life. Now God’s words clearly pointed out her difficulties and she felt the big stone inside her seemed to become lighter, which made her very glad. So, she couldn’t wait to continue to read.

God says, “What occupation one chooses, how one makes a living: do people have any control over whether they make a good choice or a bad choice? Do they accord with their desires and decisions? Most people wish they could work less and earn more, not to toil in the sun and rain, dress well, glow and shine everywhere, tower above others, and bring honor to their ancestors. People’s desires are so perfect, but when people take their first steps in the journey of their lives, they gradually come to realize how imperfect human destiny is, and for the first time they truly grasp the fact that, though one can make bold plans for one’s future, though one may harbor audacious fantasies, no one has the ability or the power to realize his or her own dreams, no one is in a position to control his or her own future. There will always be some distance between one’s dreams and the realities that one must confront; things are never as one would like them to be, and faced with such realities people can never achieve satisfaction or contentment. Some people will even go to any length imaginable, will put forth great efforts and make great sacrifices for the sake of their livelihoods and future, in attempt to change their own fate. But in the end, even if they can realize their dreams and desires by means of their own hard work, they can never change their fates, and no matter how doggedly they try they can never exceed what destiny has allotted them. Regardless of differences in ability, IQ, and willpower, people are all equal before fate, which makes no distinction between the great and the small, the high and the low, the exalted and the mean. What occupation one pursues, what one does for a living, and how much wealth one amasses in life are not decided by one’s parents, one’s talents, one’s efforts or one’s ambitions, but are predetermined by the Creator.”

After finishing reading this passage of God’s words, Xiaoxiao smiled and said, “It’s so true. Once, I was just like what God says and imagined that as long as I made efforts and had a good grade, I could have a bright future. But faced with the fact before me, I was dumbfounded. It turns out that everything is not decided by what I think but by God’s predestination. I finally understood it. As for choosing a job in a few days, I believe that God has already arranged my occupation. It’s not up to me.”

The aunt also smiled and said, “Right! You can see now how many children like you live in pain and confusion because they think that only through studying hard can they survive in this cruel society. Also, how many students devote all their energy to getting the diploma but can’t find a satisfactory job? Some even become mired in defeat because of this. In fact, God has arranged the road that everyone will walk, including man’s educational background, occupation and other things. God has arranged all these things appropriately, which are also most beneficial for us. During this period, we can make efforts and also can establish a goal for us to pursue but we can’t decide the result. Therefore, when we are struggling for our jobs and prospects, we should have a heart to obey God, that is, ‘Do whatever you are capable of, and obey the will of God.’ That doesn’t mean that we should wait negatively, but means no matter what we do or pursue, we should have a heart to obey, wait and seek God. In this way, whatever the result is, we can face it calmly and be grateful to God instead of being painful and negative in our hearts when failing to achieve the goal. Xiaoxiao, God tells us these words in order to make us live with a released mind and freedom under God’s sovereignty and arrangement. God loves us so He is not willing to see that we struggle for those things which don’t belong to us and in the end we get nothing but pain.”

After hearing her words, Xiaoxiao felt moved in her heart. At this time she really understood the earnest intention of God, and also knew that her own prospect was not decided by the marks but are in God’s hands. Then the big stone in her heart disappeared and she didn’t worry about what her future would be like anymore, but was willing to face it calmly. Because she knew that her future path had been arranged properly by God and what she needed to do was only to obey.

Several days later, Xiaoxiao answered a phone call from the company which she had sent her resume to and she was told that she had been hired and the occupation was exactly what she liked. At that moment, she gave thanks to God from the bottom of her heart. Had it not been for the guidance of God’s words in time, she would still be the lost person in darkness who couldn’t find the light. It was God’s words that gave her direction and told her the true meaning of life.