I've been pondering this post for a few days now, trying to decide if there was enough substance in the idea of the unexpected that I could actually write a post about it. As I was reading my devotions this morning I stumbled upon this phrase in the book I was reading and decided I had to at least give it the old college try (side note: who knows where this phrase came from? Is it a positive comment on colleges or negative...I think it's positive but I'm not 100% sure).
"Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less
than God's appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs
everywhere and anywhere." - Oswald Chambers
I love this idea, it means that even the smallest most insignificant thing or timing could be God stepping into our lives, orchestrating things for His greater plan and our lives. Recently, this idea combined with all of the unexpected moments in my life has really been on my mind.
There have been a lot of unexpected moments in my life, but there are some bigger ones that stick out in my mind. They are also moments that do seem to be kind of "random" in some ways...I hope I am able to communicate how as I share this next story with you!
One thing I was sure of from a fairly young age was that I wanted to be a counsellor/psychologist. It was probably in junior high school that I realized that this really was a desire deeply ingrained in my heart. Counselling combined a lot of things that I loved and with some creativity I figured there was a way to fit in even more of the things I was passionate about. It would give me the opportunity to teach in an informal way, being a counsellor meant talking with people at a deeper level...getting to walk alongside them and know their hearts and struggles and support them as they sought peace, change, growth, healing etc. The other thing I was fairly certain of was where I was going to go to school. I wanted to go to York University, they had a well known psychology program which was pretty highly regarded. When it came time to apply to universities I picked three universities with the understanding that I was probably just going to go to York University anyway, but it was good to have back-ups. My choices were York, McMaster and Waterloo. How Waterloo even ended up in this bunch is a good question in of itself. Waterloo is definitely more known for it's math and engineering programs- particularly the co-op program. I had no intention of doing the co-op program nor did I want to do math or engineering...if you know me at all this does not come as a shock.
S, I applied and waited to hear back. I was granted early acceptance to Waterloo, which was unexpected and random...however more unexpected and random especially after I received the response from McMaster. I received a letter saying that they would like to extend acceptance to me (or something along those lines) however I had not completed (and did not have in my schedule at that point) the 6 grade 12 university credits that I needed to in order to be accepted to a university program. Let's just say I was more than a little bewildered when I received this letter considering the fact that when I was changing all my courses around at the beginning of the year with my guidance counsellor I had expressed that I wanted to go to university and wanted to ensure that in switching my courses I would not be ruining my chances of doing so. Since I had received reassurance from my guidance counsellor I continued on with my course selections. At this point I had not heard from York, had heard a "no, not right now,unless..." from McMaster and had oddly received early acceptance from Waterloo. You may call this an oversight on their part, however in looking back I do see it as God stepping in and directing my path. My last two months of my high school career became a blur of two online courses plus my regular schedule as I attempted to meet the requirements I needed to get into the university that I wanted. This ended up being a blessing as I had to teach myself in these online courses, it prepared me or university in ways I was not really being prepared for in my classes in school.
However, from the moment I was accepted early into Waterloo something was nudging at me. It struck me as odd that I would get into a university that was well respected and well known without all the requirements that I needed, especially to get early acceptance. I started to wonder...is this just something random, some weird fluke or is this God letting me know where He wanted me to be. As I pondered this idea and prayed over my decision I decided I had to believe it wasn't random- it was too much of an unlikely chance. So, I made the decision to go to Waterloo...with no idea why exactly I was heading there instead of York.
In looking back there were many reasons I think God directed me toward Waterloo. Perhaps the most obvious to those of you who know me or have read my other blog posts is the fact that this is where I met my wonderful husband....another unexpected for me. In making a "random" decision to switch churches halfway through my first year and "randomly" ending up carpooling with this upper year student I met and got to know Rob. He also randomly ended up getting me in our residences secret valentine...coincidence? Maybe not.
Going to school at Waterloo instilled in me even more deeply my love of stories. I had some brilliant English professors that drew me into the world of literature and stories through their passion and love of the subjects they taught. Unexpectedly, there were three classes that drew me in the most and developed this love of stories even more for me they were; criticism (English), children's lit. and early Canadian literature. These professors taught with such passion, knowledge, interest and care that I was pulled into the world that the were presenting. It was great.
Being in Waterloo and "randomly" ending up at the church that I did pushed me toward two different missions trips which in turn taught me about myself as a leader and as an individual. As I'm typing this up I'm realizing just how many incredible things came from being at the University of Waterloo. I met two of my closest friends (who in turn introduced me to more wonderful people!), I was challenged deeply in my faith and how I lived as a result of it, I learned I wanted to be a counsellor rather than a psychologist...the list just goes on! It's so incredible to me how one decision can impact so much of our lives...and one that started with the random event of me being offered early acceptance to one school over another.
Guys, I started this post with the intention of eventually getting to the thing that has recently caught me most by surprise and perhaps been one of the most unexpected things in my life but I've already written so much! To be fair, it's not the most eloquent thing I have ever written...
However, in fairness to your eyeballs, time and brain I will continue this post tomorrow where I will touch on the unexpected event of marrying Rob (I guess you'll have to come by tomorrow to understand what I mean by this!) and my most recent moment of being caught totally off-guard.
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