Announcing My Big Decision ...

Source: ladyromp.com via Victoria on Pinterest

Well, the moment has come to take the plunge and tell you this mysterious thing I've been planning to do to my future. *Deep breath*

I chose this picture to introduce my announcement of my "Big Decision" because it is the primary reason I have made the choice I'm making - the question that kept nagging at me as I looked over paperwork, plans of study, calendars, and bank accounts was, "What will you do if you reach your fortieth birthday and are sorry you didn't do this? Will you regret it?"

I finally took my dilemma to my academic adviser last week, and as I poured out all my confusion and self-arguing and doubts and fears, those same words were the first words out of her mouth. "Will you regret it if you don't try?"


"Yes, I will," I had to admit. "If I don't try it ..."

"... You'll always wonder," she finished for me.

And so, my friends, I have made the decision to start preparations to apply to medical school after I complete my bachelor's degree, and become either a neurologist or an otolaryngologist.

Now, let me qualify that a little by saying that I'm still in an exploratory stage - I have to take some biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and physics classes before I am ready to apply, so I'm going to see how those classes go before making my final decision. If I flunk out of them or hate them, then obviously med school won't be the best choice for me. I also plan to job shadow some doctors in those two fields, because I have medical experience in other fields but not in those; and I also want to travel, hopefully on a medical mission or humanitarian trip, to get a vision of what I could do with a medical degree in ministry.

So, to be totally honest, this isn't the final decision just yet. But I am going to at least walk down the road a bit and see what it looks like, and continue praying to know if this is the way I should go.

If you ladies had any advice on decision-making, knowing God's will, sticking with something hard ... really, any thoughts or encouragement at all, they would be so appreciated. I can't tell you how much your prayers helped me make this preliminary decision - the Lord gave me the strength to focus, think clearly, and take courage as I looked at all the years that lie ahead of me if I do this (my adviser says I'll be 37 when I finally set up my own practice).

And there are a lot of years ahead - but the way I look at it is, in 13 years I'll be 37 anyway, regardless of whether I go to medical school or not. And I want so much to live a life that brings great glory to God and touches the lives of many people with the Gospel. Going to medical school is something that is on the very outer limits of my dreams and capabilities - it's something huge and scary, something that I am not nearly smart enough or dedicated enough to do. If I make it, it will be completely through God's sustaining power; and I want Him to do that in my life. I want to attempt something great so that He can lift me up with His great arm and, through me, bring glory and honor to Himself.

So - thank you all for praying, and I'll keep you updated on my progress as I go!! I love you ladies and I'm so thankful for your support!

Your (hopefully) future doctor friend,
Vicki