Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34
It was the time of year when all high school seniors were applying to colleges. I was both excited and nervous with the normal angst everyone experiences about getting into college. Plus, I was the first in my family to apply to college. Would I be accepted into the schools I applied to? I wondered as I heard comments like, “Oh Montclair State? It’s very selective. Lots of people don’t get in.” Or, “I hope your SATs are good. (They weren’t.) You need really high scores to get into Seton Hall University.” The second part of my dilemma was that if I did get in, how were my parents going to pay for my tuition? I was considered an international student, so my parents had to pay full tuition out-of-pocket.
It’s by the grace of God that I got accepted into all four colleges I applied to. I ended up attending the college that had both an easy commute and seemed relatively manageable for my parents, Montclair State University.
My college career was tough because my father didn’t support my major. << Click to Tweet
Growing up in a Haitian household, if you were going to spend the money required for a college education, it was expected that you would become a doctor, lawyer, or an engineer. My father, who along with my mother didn’t have a high school education, believed that any degree other than a professional degree was a waste of money…and an easy way out. The only education really worth having led you straight to medical, law, and engineering school and the careers that naturally followed. So when I chose Business Administration, this was not okay with my father. He was convinced that my degree would do no more than give me a job as a clerk in a store…and I could do that without the expensive degree.
There were times when my father refused to pay my tuition bill and my college books because of the major I chose. As the time for class registration neared, my anxiety would rise as my father threatened not to pay, again. I couldn’t study, distracted by the fear that I would have to leave college. I couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning, crying, and pleading with God through the night.
My father kept a notebook, recording every penny he spent on my education. He would remind me of these expenses often and tell me I would owe him every cent. When it was time to get my books, my father would again whip out that book. And I would have another sleepless night praying that somehow I would make it through college. Even with the lack of my dad’s support, I learned to trust that God would provide. Always, at the very last minute, my father would throw a check at me that enabled me to continue my education or to purchase my books.
God gave my parents the resources to pay my entire college tuition. I have no idea where this money came from to this day. I do know I graduated from college without owing anyone a dime.
My college experience taught me to stop worrying about how or when and just trust that God would provide for ALL my needs…and HE DID!
Despite all the trauma of getting through college, when I did graduate, my parents threw me a big party…and my dad was very proud!
Wodline is a mom and wedding planner who loves the Lord. She is also a consultant for start-up nonprofit organizations. She loves writing in her journal and hopes to share her testimony to help young women struggling with unforgiveness.