Becoming Without Burning Out by Jaylyn

Becoming Without Burning Out by Jaylyn - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

There’s a kind of quiet that feels like drowning. Where you’re still breathing, but beneath the surface, you’re slowly slipping. That’s where I once was. If I could speak to her, the small little girl who wore strength like armor and the resilience of an oak tree, I’d say this: don’t let the devil win. Don’t let him in through the moments of exhaustion and fatigue. He doesn’t always begin with chaos. Sometimes, it creeps in during the silence, the weary, and the indifference. Sin isn’t always loud. Sometimes it looks like compromise, middle ground, and balance. Don’t abandon faith when other responsibilities get heavy or when the road feels long. Live your faith out loud. Stay rooted in the truth of who God is and who you are because of Him. Don’t push only when life flows easily. Push when it’s inconvenient. Push when no one is clapping. Push when it hurts.

Being productive when life is good is very easy, but that’s not the measure of real strength. Keep persistence. Keep the discipline. Keep the productivity that will honor your purpose. Keep the positivity that sees beyond the pain. Success is not about avoiding the storm. It’s about learning to balance within it. It’s about walking in truth even when your knees shake and your body trembles. It’s about trusting God even when the path is hidden. You are not weak for struggling. You are not lost for wandering.

You’ll never learn anything if you’re too proud to learn something. Wisdom doesn’t come to the loudest voice; it comes to the open heart. Sacrifice your time, your energy, your actions. Offer the world something great. What you sow in silence will speak louder than what you shout in the spotlight. In pursuit of becoming better, don’t forget to pour into yourself. You cannot draw from an empty well. We are not created to run dry. Remember that rest is not weakness, but it is repair. Perfection was never the goal, but growth was. So fall. Miss your mark. Begin again. Becoming who you’re meant to be will always involve grace.

“You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There is a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” Randall Duk Kim. You’re never meant to have it all figured out at once. Growth is not linear and purpose does not come with a roadmap. The world will demand perfection, but your soul only craves alignment. There is wisdom in the waiting. There is beauty in the becoming. Some seasons will stretch you, but others will shape you. You do not have to be unbreakable to be powerful. You do not have to be perfect to walk in purpose. Let your softness speak. Let your wounds heal. Let your scars shine.

When you feel behind, unseen, or uncertain, choose peace over perfection. Do not perform to be worthy. We do not shrink to strive. We do not audition for the things we deserve. We are not put on this earth to perform. We are not here to impress. We are here to transform.