Faith Stories: A College Decision
Hearing these faith stories always puts a smile to my morning, and I thought now was the perfect time to tell you how God has steered me in the right path and guided my faith and decisions. It is always a blessing to read these and know that God is working in the lives of others.
Some time ago, I was faced with a very difficult decision. This decision is one that some tend to face around this time of year. It was my decision on where to go to college.
After realizing that Dartmouth was out of the question (I just wanted to see my name in a letter from an Ivy League school LOL), I had only two schools that I wanted to attend. I had to make a decision whether to attend University of Texas at Austin or make the long, stressful 57-mile journey to LSU — it was long because I didn’t get a car until I graduated college.
There were certain things I tried to use to influence my decision such as TOPS and friends; however, none of these were convincing enough. This decision also came at a time when my spiritual life was at a standstill. Things were not going in the right direction, and I was living one day at a time. Well, that and my soccer team just lost a very controversial game. With everything around me moving at 80 mph I decided to sit and talk to God. We had agreed to talk from time to time, but I felt as though there was no one who could help me more than Him. I put everything out in front of Him. My UT hat and shirt that I wore every chance I got and the 3-month baby picture of me dressed head to toe in LSU gear.
College night at high school was the next day, and schools from all over the country were coming. So I asked Him to lead me to the right table first. LSU had a line out the door, but there was no one at UT’s table. When I say no one, that included the recruiter. So I didn’t get to talk to either school.
A year later, after another controversial soccer championship loss, I’m faced with the decision again but more pressing because it is my senior year. Applications were sent, but I still needed to make a decision. This is when I felt my faith changed drastically.
I got down and prayed to God to guide me to the correct decision. I figured it would put Him to the test. (I do not recommend it; He always wins.) I asked for a clear decisive sign, and two weeks later, he literally rose to the occasion.
While walking with some friends one Friday a gentleman who was selling roses dropped one. I picked it up to hand it back and he told me to keep it. Now this rose was orange the color of UT. I had asked God to give me a sign — a gift of the school color of where I shouldn’t go, which is funny since we live in a purple and gold state. Once I received that rose I immediately knew God told me that LSU was where I was to be. So that day I got a new favorite color and a stronger sense of faith to trust in God and He will reveal His plans for you.