This is a featured post by Kelly Chung, a McGill University graduate in Organismal Biology and East Asian Studies. She currently is a research technician at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Did I get kicked out of school? No. Do I have your attention? Yes.
I graduated from McGill University in December 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Organismal Biology and East Asian Studies, so I am no longer a student. In other words, I am an ex-student. (Sorry to disappoint those looking for a spicy story about getting kicked out of school.)
The status of an ex-student is an interesting one. For the first time in my life, I had no idea what my next step or goal should be. In elementary school, the goal was to get to middle school; in middle school, to get to high school; in high school, to get into a good college; and finally, in college, to graduate. Shaped by my parents’ wishes and the culture around me, it didn’t really feel like I had a choice.
But (thankfully) I graduated, and there was suddenly a world of possibilities before me in terms of career. I continually wondered, what was God’s will for me and my life? And how will I know? As much as I wanted to feel God push me into a specific direction so I would know with certainty that I was walking the right path, I heard nothing from Him. Was I not sincere enough in my prayers? Did I not desire for God’s will to be done as much as I thought I did? Or was I simply not a good enough Christian?
As someone with no experience, no qualifications, and a mediocre academic record, I expected my job search to last months at least. I didn’t have the foresight or motivation to find summer internships during college, and I didn’t even have any interview practice. I had almost nothing going for me.
And yet, within minutes of emailing my resume to one lab, I received an invitation to my first interview for the next morning.
And yet, although I was competing with several other candidates, I was asked for letters of recommendation by the end of the next week.
And yet, in spite of my doubts and insecurities, I was offered the job.
And yet, despite my hasty acceptance of the job offer without consideration of the work environment, the lab members are so kind to me, and it is a joy for me to work with them.
God poured blessings upon blessings upon blessings upon me despite my disbelief in both my own abilities and in His power.
Although He never directly spoke to me in the way that I wanted Him to, God worked above and beyond my expectations. Perhaps the way I kept trying and failing to “hear” Him shows how little I truly understood about God’s nature. God is not limited to giving advice about the future. God takes my cans and cannots and transforms them to work for His glory.
