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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rachel Gardner, director of a charity which specialises in innovative youth work.

Good morning.

It’s the season of exam results. For anyone who sat GCSEs in England and Wales, today is the day when they get to see how they’ve done. It can be a hugely anxious time for young people, their families and their teachers. It’s sad that people’s personal joys or disappointments will inevitably get drowned out in a national debate about whether exams are getting harder or easier. So I’m thinking about young people today who will be facing a key moment in their lives.

For some, doors will be opening as they take up places at college or sixth form that they’ve been working towards. For others, options may feel like they’re narrowing down if they don’t get the grades they needed or worked so hard for. Winston Churchill said, ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.’
For each one, there is always a next step. There’s always hope for a brighter future where we can grow in our skills, hone our character and bring the weight of our influence and gifts to bear on the world.

So a prayer today for anyone receiving exam results.

May they know that their worth can never be measured by results, their potential is not tied to school reports and their contribution is not limited by how they’ve done so far.

May each find the path that’s right for them. Fill their imagination with a vision of who it is you’ve created them to be and inspire them as they make important decisions for their present and their future. May each one know that they are a gift to their family and their community.

Fill hearts with peace and hearts with hope. And may each one of us know the courage we need to not give up.

Amen

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