The waiting is over, the mark is in.....after two weeks of pins and needles, my son got his MCAT mark. The night before I had dreamed he had failed. I was so relieved to wake up and discover it was just a dream. He had a number in his head that he knew he needed to get in order to be competitive - 510 - and, just to keep him humble and remind him that he still needs faith, he got a 509. This is not by any means the best score for the MCAT, many get higher, but it is a GOOD score and people get into med school with this mark, so he was HAPPY to say the least and we were all so relieved, praising God for His goodness once again.
I had written in my journal the day we were waiting for the mark that, depending on the score, our life was about to change. And it has. Almost within minutes of getting the score, he had to send out all sorts of emails to the people he knew that he wanted as references. He couldn't do this until he got his mark, but now, he literally has only 2 weeks to get his extensive application together, due by October 1! Yikes....always so much pressure around here! He sent all the reference requests out and right away he heard from all of them promising positive references. That was such an encouragement to him. His GPA is good, his references are good, his experience is excellent and his MCAT is competitive, so I truly believe he has a really good chance of getting in - 5000 applications for only 200 spots! So maybe not, but it seems God is so clearly leading him down this path. He'll only apply to 3 schools this year as he only will have finished his 3rd year and half way through his 4th. Only a few schools let you apply after 3rd year.
The week before we had so many encouraging verses for him, including this one, Psalm 128:2, "You will eat the fruit of your labour; blessings and prosperity will be yours." And then, while we were away at the cabin, I read this amazing verse in Zechariah 4 that talks about a mountain. This passage is amazing, "Then he said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!"
As I shared that passage with the family up north, we realized each one of us had a mountain in our life- the math mountain (some of us really struggle with math!), the homeschool mountain (I don't always feel like the best homeschool mom!), the MCAT mountain, the piano mountain, the work mountain.....SO MANY MOUNTAINS! It's like living in the Appalachians! But the passage is so great because it says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit"! Yes, we can plan and study, but ultimately it is GOD who makes the way. And how does God get rid of the mountain and make it a plain? By shouting, "Grace, grace to it!" Only grace.
The night before we got the results of the MCAT, we all prayed, heads bowed, everyone, one-by-one asking God for His mercy on my son. When it came to my 10 year old to pray, he said, "Grace to it! Grace to the mountain!" I couldn't believe that two weeks after I had shared that passage with the kids, he remembered that. I immediately felt this amazing peace, that no matter what, bad mark or good mark, my son would be ok. If he didn't do well, it was because the mountain wasn't moved yet and that God was still working grace in his life. If the he did do well, God had flattened the mountain and it was only His grace that had done it. No amount of studying and working hard can move mountains. We all had to come to a place where we surrendered our rights to a good mark. We had to acknowledge God, His sovereignty, His power. That powerful prayer time left all of us at peace knowing God was in control.
Getting the mark back was like watching the mountain fall into the sea. God had done it. Grace had done it. I believe my son was faithful with his time and God blessed him. I'm so grateful.
The truth is, now there's another mountain - the med school mountain. But, won't there always be a mountain, a new trial, this side of heaven? God has this way of keeping us on our knees, keeping us faithful, humbled, and crying out for His grace in our lives. It's a good place to be.
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