22/01/2026
๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐
โ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
; ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐.โ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐:๐
One of the challenges a Seventh-day Adventist student experiences at a public university is having classes that fall on the Sabbath. When I was younger, Iโve had heard a lot of testimonies about how some peopleโs faith was tried by this circumstance; however, I did not give much thought to it, as I believed that the professors would give due consideration, knowing that there is already a law that upholds and protects the religious rights of students. This is the only belief that I held on to that has kept me feeling at ease for the time when I would study at a state university.
Time passed by, and finally, I was already a first year student in MSU-IIT. In my first semester, though I had this lecture scheduled every Friday night (which, according to my belief, is already the beginning Sabbath), I still managed to transfer to another section with the help of my professor. Second semester came, and unfortunately, another major subject was scheduled every Tuesday and Friday night. I already did everything โ processed my load revision, went to some professors to get their signatures โ but the time I approached my professor for that subject, he did not permit. He even went so far as to question my decision to change my class schedule, reasoning that the campus is a non-sectarian university and that I must therefore understand the inevitability of having classes that fall on Saturdays. He further added that if I was not willing to firmly opt to take classes on Saturdays in the first place, I should have just enrolled in Adventist universities instead.
My tears were welling up at that time as I heard how my professor disagreed to change my schedule solely because of my observance of the Sabbath. I didnโt want to argue with him, but, at the same time, I also didnโt want to compromise the truth and principles I stand for.
A Seventh-day Adventist professor then helped me convince my professor to excuse me from my classes every Friday night, and thankfully, after many discussions, I was finally given permission. But in return, it demanded a sacrifice. It was hard for me because I had to put an extra effort into studying since I was always absent from every lecture on Fridays.
When finals came, my exam was initially scheduled on Thursday, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it was rescheduled to Saturday. I messaged my professor in our group chat to ask if I could take the exam ahead of time. It took him a day to reply to my message, saying that I should remember he had already allowed me not to attend Friday night classes, so just this once, I might as well consider taking the final exam. Saturday came, I went to the church and all I had in mind during the whole morning worship was my exam scheduled in the afternoon. I was in a dilemma. I believed that if I didnโt take the exam, I would possibly fail the subject. While I didnโt want that to happen, I also didnโt want to forsake God and act against my conscience by taking the exam. All my fellow youth in the church even made jokes but also offered comforting words, saying things like, โDili ra lagi ka ma fail if dili ka maka exam,โ (๐๐๐ข ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐ค๐๐โ๐ก ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐) just to ease what I was feeling since they saw how much I struggled. But after all, I made up my mind to take the exam.
When I was about to get my things to leave the church, a friend suddenly said something that awakened me into a realization. โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐-๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ง๐ข๐ฆ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐จ๐จ? ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง,โ she said. I then put all my things back and turned off my phone to keep me from seeing the messages coming from my classmates persuading me to take the exam. Tuesday came, and I went to the department office to ask my professor if I could still take the exam. Praise God, he gave me a chance, though I could clearly see the disagreement on his face.
The exam was so hard that the tiny hope I had faded away. It was so difficult that I had to choose answers from the options without much thought, as I had no clear idea which answers were correct, even though I had studied the night before.
Then the time came when the locking of grades was about to take place. I fervently prayed to God that if I would get a grade of 3.00, which is the lowest passing grade, I would be so happy, as long as it wasnโt 5.00, the failing grade. I simply prayed for a passing grade, but God gave me more than what I asked for. He blessed me with a grade of 1.75.
See, thatโs how great our God is. Up until today, I carry the lesson that indeed, ๐๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฆ. This experience taught me that obedience may come with sacrifices, but God never fails to honor those who trust Him wholeheartedly. Through it all, I learned to rely not on my own strength, but on His perfect will and timing.
Written by Josh
Illustration by Frian Chinedo
Proofread by Pherl John Siares
