When I was a junior in high school, I thought I had my life planned out. I was going to go to college for psychology and then start my career as a play therapist. I already knew the college I wanted to go to too. It was an all-girls school that was about 45 minutes from my house. It was also the first college I visited and was sold on it even more just from my visit. I remember seeking them out at all of the college fairs I attended that year and was just sold on everything about the camps. To add to my lifelong dream, I also wanted to be a part of this health program my high school offered. The idea was that we would spend the majority of our time in a hospital, working, and learning. A friend of mine did the program the year before for Occupational Therapy and said that there was someone in the program that was
there for psychology. I felt confident after that and ended up applying. I interviewed with the person in charge of the program and actually felt pretty good about it. It wasn’t till shortly after that I found out I didn’t make it into the program. To make things worse, I was the only one from my school that didn’t make it. I was absolutely devastated. I remember thinking that I was a failure. I remember thinking “why would God let this happen? He knew how much I wanted this.” After talking with my pastor at my church, and a few others, I looked on the bright side. At least, I was going to be allowed to take intro to psychology my senior year. The class itself was pretty eye-opening for me. It was interesting at first, but once I got more into it, I became less engaged and I just wasn’t that into it anymore. I’m not saying what we learned wasn’t interesting, it just wasn’t something that I could see myself doing as a career. Even though that was the case, I did stick it out. I’ve learned to finish what I start and even though I felt like quitting and was told I should drop out of the class, I kept going.
As a result of that class and not getting into that program, I had to go back to the drawing board. I thought of other things that I could pursue in college. I thought about English for a while, and then there was a phase of being a lawyer, oh, and then a forensic scientist, and when I was younger I wanted to do music, so I was just kind of lost. At that point, I wanted a sign from God telling me what I should do. I remember thinking about that in church a lot and talking about it with people at my church. I needed advice. I needed someone to tell me what I should do.
One of the things I realized during my senior year was that I had a love for social media and communications. I had ran a fan account on Twitter for one of my favorite television shows at the time and never knew that some people did that for a living. I looked more into it, and finally found schools that had a communications program.
I finally realized that not getting into that program was a blessing in disguise. If I had gotten in, I would have never found my love for communications. By not getting into that program, and not liking my introduction to psychology class, I knew that was a sign from God telling me that the healthcare field wasn’t for me.
That was when I had decided to go to college for Communications. Towards the end of my freshman year at my undergrad institution, I decided to add a minor in Criminal Justice. I had taken a forensics class in my senior year of high school and loved that too. In my sophomore year, that minor became a major. I had thoroughly enjoyed learning about the law, and how the criminal justice system worked. I had also worked for my college’s newspaper and also did Public Relations coursework and internships. I left my college last May with degrees in Communications and Media and Criminal Justice. That was something beyond my wildest dream. Now, I’m in grad school pursuing Journalism.
That whole experience of not getting into that program was tough for me. However, it was apart of God’s plan. He knew that the healthcare field wouldn’t be for me and that I should take my talents elsewhere.
In the world we live in today, I think this idea is more important than ever. Just from experience, I think that COVID-19 has taught us to slow down. It’s brought out both the best and worst in people. It has taught us to not take anything for granted. Even though things are tough right now, it’s important that we still trust God and his plan for us. He’s our rock, and he’s there for us always. Also, no matter what side you are on about the protests, it has allowed people to speak out about how they are feeling. Some people were born to speak out and speak up for others, and that’s part of God’s plan.
God is involved in planning our lives before we’re even born. He continues to plan our lives and wants what’s best for us. We’re made in his image. Even though we might not know where we’ll be in the next few years, it’s important to trust God in the process.
It’s especially hard to see God’s plan when things get difficult. When Martha buried her brother in John 11, she wondered how anything good could from it. Jesus got her message and assured her by saying that Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. Jesus had a plan for Martha, but she didn’t know it. This story taught that when we fully give our problems, our concerns, our issues, and everything else to God, we learn to trust Him.
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” Jeremiah 29:11.
