“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
Psalm 37:5
In 2019, at just 17 years old, I started medical school in Paraguay and had to live alone in a country far from home. My Heavenly Father guided everything and all went according to plan. In my mind, graduating from medical school at 24 would be the best thing that could happen to me.
But then, something I could never have imagined happened—the world stopped. In March 2020, I was getting ready for my midterms when I received the news that my school would close for fifteen days, as a serious virus was spreading around the world. I decided to visit my parents in São Paulo during the break. As you can imagine, I’ve been “visiting” them for over a year.
Whenever I think about it, my heart sinks, knowing that for so long my school routine has just been a memory and something I long for. I have often wondered what purpose all this might have in my life and in the lives of countless people. In 2021, I had to put my dream on hold for a while. Continuing my studies became both financially and emotionally complicated, more than I had anticipated.
I knew God had sent me there for a purpose, and deep down I also knew that another purpose was behind this chaos. Still, accepting changes to our plans is always easier in theory. I had no choice but to trust God and let things work themselves out.
The years 2020 and 2021 were full of emotions. My long-awaited baptism took place, my best friend became more than a friend, and I was able to better manage the family business, which was collapsing due to the pandemic. Patiently, God revealed to me some reasons for why I needed to be where I was. I realized how different it would be if I wasn’t around to help those who needed me. And best of all, I learned to deal with things that were difficult before. I understood that maturity comes with time and, sometimes, through negative experiences. Today, I know that each difficulty made me stronger and, above all, more patient in the face of life’s adversities.
Dear friend, I know that like me, you also had to adapt. But I want to tell you that God’s plans are always for the best.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
When we place our plans, studies, career, and marriage in Jesus’ hands, we need to accept that things will not always turn out as we had envisioned, but that in the end, the purpose will be the same: God’s best for us. His plans are bigger than ours.
I can assure you that it hasn’t been easy to adapt, trust, and have faith, but someday God will show me the reason for everything. And it won’t be any different with you. At the end of our journey, He will be there with open arms, showing us that it was worth trusting His will.
I haven’t given up on my dream, because I know it is God’s purpose for my life. I want to bring people to Jesus through medicine, to be a medical missionary. And I know that, God willing, no matter how long it may take, this purpose will be fulfilled.
My prayer is that you will trust God, let Him calm your heart, and wait on Him. The whole world is in crisis, but Jesus guarantees us peace.
2 thoughts on “When God Made Me Wait – A personal testimony”
Gostei muito de ler seu testemunho, a pandemia pegou muitos de surpresa, as aulas na faculdade se tornaram online, a loja do meus pais também quase que tivemos que fechar, mas graças a Deus deu tudo certo. É muito bom ler as experiências de nossas queridas irmãs.
<3 Obrigada por estar aqui e ler! Com certeza, quando entregamos tudo nas mãos de Deus, no final da tudo certo. Às vezes é difícil pensar assim no momento, mas aí que entra a fé, né?