"Sunday after church, Mike and I started talking about how God apparently has a plan that's different than what we thought. That lead us into a discussion of how do we know when it's God's plan and not ours? There were two specific things that Mike and I both thought of, that we've been thinking about a LOT lately. But how do we know if that's more of what WE want and our brain tries tricking us into thinking it's what God wants - or if it's really what God wants? The conversation basically came down to this: How do we know when what we're doing is God's plan and not our own? We're both nervous that we are going to do something thinking it's what God has planned for us and it ends up not being that."But then I got a phone call. I'd heard the sayings before: "That phone call just changed my life" or "It's amazing the difference a few hours can make." Now I get those sayings.
Let me rewind a little bit...
Nearly two years ago, my husband realized that he wasn't happy in his current job and wanted to find a career that would make a difference in someone's life. After a lot of prayer, talking to friends and family, and some job shadowing, Mike decided he wanted to change careers and become a nurse.
After reviewing transcripts from when Mike went to college in Fort Wayne, we found out that a lot of his Gen Ed classes would carry over and that he would only need to take a few new classes before he could apply to the School of Nursing. So Mike registered for classes and took the classes he needed to (plus a few extras to improve his grades from the first time around) and then applied to the Nursing Program at Ivy Tech.
For those of you who don't know my husband, he's one of the smartest, most intelligent, and brightest people I know. (And I'm not just saying that because I'm married to him!) To us, it was going to be a no-brainer for him to be accepted into the full-time program.
Apparently we needed to be humbled a bit: After 3 long months of waiting this past May, we received a letter in the mail from Ivy Tech stating that Mike was not accepted into the nursing program.
WHAT?!?!?!?!!?! (Thats all we could think.) He not only had excellent grades, but the entrance exam he had to take to even apply to the school, he had scored in the 98th percentile for the entire COUNTRY!
For a lot of people, including those who are changing careers mid-career, they would be done with that news. Not Mike. He wasn't going to let that news get him down. So he met with the school to find out why he wasn't accepted and what he could do differently, and ended up retaking two classes this past summer to better improve his overall GPA. And he re-applied.
Mike and I both agreed that no matter what the results were this time, that God had a plan for Mike and we would do whatever that plan was.
We were told that we would find out by the end of September if he was accepted into the school or not. I think by the middle of September I became the annoying wife with my constant questions "Have you heard from Ivy Tech yet?" The last week of September arrived and still nothing. We were both getting nervous. Mike even tried calling the school but only got a recorded message.
This past Friday, Mike had arranged to go out with some friends right after work. So when I arrived home Friday night, I picked up the mail. At the top of the stack was an envelope from Ivy Tech. I called Mike immediately and asked him if he wanted me to open it. He said no. And then I asked him if he was sure, and he said I could go ahead and open it.
I wish I hadn't opened it. I stared at that letter trying to think of what to say to Mike over the phone. How could I tell my husband that Ivy Tech, once again, didn't accept him into the school of nursing. The only thing I could do was cry and say "I'm sorry honey. I'm so sorry." And Mike responded: "OK. It's OK. We'll figure it out. It's OK" I think he took the news better than me at that moment.
He returned home later that evening and we talked. A LOT. It made NO sense. How can they tell a guy who has a 4.0 GPA and scored in the top 98th percentile in the COUNTRY on the entrance exam that he wasn't accepted into their nursing school? What more were they wanting from him?
We had both said and agreed all along that if he didn't get in this time, God must have another plan. It's so much easier to say stuff, then to actually have to face it in reality and deal with it. (That's where this post came from.) Mike told his family the upsetting news, and I told mine. We told our Pastor and friends. We were both heart broken. But we knew God had a plan, and were ready to go along with whatever God had for us.
Mike reached out to Ivy Tech on Monday just to find out (like last time) why he wasn't accepted into the program. The person he spoke with said that the school would have to look into it because he didn't have Mike's records in front of him at that time. They said they would call him back.
Mike hadn't heard back from them this morning, so he called back just to check in. The person he had previously spoken with wasn't there, but was told someone else would call him back. Shortly there after, his cell phone rang, but he was unable to answer it since he was at work. He recognized the number as being from Ivy Tech. As soon as Mike was able, he called Ivy Tech back and found out that the Dean for the School of Nursing was trying to get ahold of him.
(This is where the phrase "A phone call changed my life" comes into play)
Apparently there had been a little mix up (or mis-calculation) with Mike's grades and test scores which resulted in the letter we received last Friday telling Mike he was not accepted into Nursing school. That letter should have never been sent to Mike.
Mike's 4.0 GPA and test scores earned him a seat in the nursing classes that start this coming January.
It's nice to know that Ivy Tech revisited Mike's information after Mike called them, and then admitted to making a mistake. They could have easily ignored the error and moved on. But they didn't and I can't thank them enough.
We never know what God's plans are for us until we're in the middle of them. God knew all along that Mike was going to be accepted into nursing school. He knew that Mike and I would question things. He knew that the little mess up at Ivy Tech would make us re-exam our trust and faith in Him. My faith in God has been reaffirmed this week.
Thank you, God, for that little reminder.
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