My classmates and I have heard the message often: Acton has a big workload.

The workload is big, for good reason. We're getting a two year degree in one year. And we're getting a good one. As with most things in life, we'll get from this program what we put into it.

One of the downsides of working long, arduous hours is that we will hit, eventually, a wall. We'll wonder why we're putting in huge hours and if we can make it through till May. The conventional advice for this crisis of confidence is to 'buckle down and keep going.' The giver of this advice then says something about us being stronger than we think.

I think that's wrong. I'm not actually stronger than I think.

It's an invalid perspective to say that when I'm pushed beyond what I can handle that I just need to look deeper in myself. The right perspective acknowledges that I do have limits. Whether it's the workload (300 cases in 9 months) or the exams (hours to compress endless options and make a decision), something about Acton's challenges will push past my limits as a student.

Something in life always pushes beyond what we can handle. As a human, I can't make it through life's challenges on my own. I need to look elsewhere. I need to look to God and rely on spiritual practice, not gritting my teeth.

My challenge, in the face of a tough semester ahead and such arrogant advice, is to continually refocus on God's centrality in my life. I hope I have the courage to look at my limits truthfully and look to God for strength.