Just in [God's] Time

Hello! My name is Bekah Johnson, and just a few weeks ago, I started my official journey as a college student at IUPUI.

Now, if you had asked me a year ago where I thought I would end up for college, I would not have told you IUPUI. In fact, I’m not sure what I would have told you at that point. My college journey was a bit of a long one, complete with skepticism, doubt, and many, many worries about the future. However, God made a path for me to come here, and He led me along it so that I would end up just where He wanted me to be. I am still amazed at how He brought everything together and love sharing this story with others, so when Andrew invited me to write this blog post, I eagerly agreed.

To begin, let’s rewind a little bit to the summer before my senior year, when I first learned about IUPUI…

During my junior year, I was a very involved student and did not have much time to consider what I wanted to do after high school. This meant that once the school year came to a close and the warm days of summer freedom began, I finally had the chance to embark on my long-awaited college journey. My first stop, however, was not a college, but a local community foundation.

You see, I was involved in a philanthropic group in high school and really loved working with the community foundation as well as the nonprofits in the area. I knew that I was interested in a career in this field, so I met with the director of the community foundation to ask for some advice on what degrees I should pursue. It was that day that I learned about IUPUI, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and the scholarship available to students majoring in Philanthropic Studies. At first, I was interested and excited. Philanthropy degrees are hard to come by at colleges, and this school not only had a degree for philanthropy but also a scholarship students could earn for pursuing that degree! How cool was that?

But then I started looking at the details.

IUPUI was in the middle of downtown Indianapolis. I wasn’t really a fan of big cities.

I also wasn’t sure if dorm life was for me, but the idea of being completely on my own seemed a little intimidating.

And, of course, one of my biggest hesitancies came from the fact that my entire life, I had pictured myself going to a small, faith-based university.

I attended a Christian school my entire K-12 academic career and loved the friends and mentors I met there as well as the growth and discipleship that I underwent as a result. I knew that I wanted to have the same connections and growth during my college experience that I had in high school, but I wasn’t sure if I could find them as easily at IUPUI as I could at a Christian university.

So I set it aside, thinking that it was just not for me, and switched my focus to smaller, Christian colleges instead. As summer turned back into the school year, I valiantly continued my search, waiting for “the feeling” that I kept hearing people talk about when they finally found their collegiate match.

It never came.

I had good college visits, don’t get me wrong, but never one that made me say, “Yes. This is the one. There is no doubt about it!” And, for the record, I got pretty disheartened. After all, it’s rough hearing your friends and peers talk about preparing for their college experiences, when you have seven schools that you’ve applied to and still aren’t sure if any of those are where you’ll actually be going.

Time passed. Suddenly, it was spring, and my long college search was finally coming to a close. I had pretty much settled on a Christian university that had resonated well with me, when one day, I received emails from two of the adult guides involved with my philanthropic group about the scholarship at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. It was still open for applications, and they thought I might want to apply.

I was really honored that they had thought of me and wanted the best for me, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel a little weary. I had been looking for the perfect college for so long and had just started to think that I was finally making my decision when another university appeared on the table. Seeking some advice, I told my mom about the emails. I explained to her that I was so ready for my college search to be done that I was reluctant to even apply for the scholarship. However, she encouraged me to at least give it a shot. If anything, I could tell the guides who had sent the information that I had tried.

So apply I did.

It wasn’t exactly a smooth application process, given that I was starting so late in the game. It also did not help that I had never been to IUPUI before and was already exhausted from my college search. I was pretty nervous (not to mention doubtful) about seriously considering a new university when I was so close to running out of time to make my decision.

These were still my feelings when I got invited to interview for the scholarship. The interview was the same day as my mandatory high school graduation rehearsal, so my mom and I drove over two hours to make it down to Indy right after practice. At this point, I was a little curious about IUPUI. Things kept working and falling into place. However, I was also still very hesitant, so I approached the scholarship competition with a strange blend of interested uncertainty. I wasn’t sure what God had in store for me.

And this is where I’d like to just say, isn’t it funny how He works sometimes?

I arrived at the competition in a whirlwind. Because of my graduation rehearsal, I was the last person to interview and had missed the morning events. I basically said “Hello” to the other contestants and advisors, then went in to my interview. I wasn’t really nervous about the interview, having done a few scholarship competitions before. I knew that they just wanted you to be open and honest, so I was. After the interview was over, one of the advisors gave my mom and I a tour of campus. He talked with us, asked questions, and gave us helpful information. He was friendly and welcoming, and my mom and I ended up really enjoying both the tour and our experience with the school. We drove home that night impressed.

I found out a short time later that I had been offered the scholarship, and after considering it and praying a bit more, I finally ended up accepting. God had opened doors, regardless of how reluctant I was, and shown me where I needed to go for college. After I accepted the scholarship, God continued to show me His ability to provide in a number of ways. He gave me wonderful advisors who helped me wrap up the many loose ends that I had due to committing to IUPUI so late. He provided an amazing housing situation and a wonderful Christian roommate. He even gave me CSF and the sweet people I have met here to encourage me to grow in my faith. I am so grateful for all of the ways that God has shown His control over my life in this situation.

And that’s my story! That’s how God brought me to IUPUI.

What I like about sharing this experience with others is that it is clearly God who worked in this situation. Not me. I was the one standing off to the side with a raised eyebrow saying, “God, are You sure? My whole life I have been thinking that I would go to a quaint Christian college, not a big school like IUPUI. I haven’t even visited IUPUI yet! What if it doesn’t work? I don’t understand why You’re bringing this university into my college search so late. At this point, I’m just plain tired.”

Aren’t you glad that God isn’t deterred by our attitudes, our doubts, or our belief that we have our lives perfectly worked out? I sure am! I like it here in Indy, even if it’s definitely an adjustment! I also know that I would not be here if God had not opened so many doors and prompted my hesitant self to walk through them. Knowing that He carefully orchestrated my journey to IUPUI gives me peace of mind. I know that I’m here for a reason, and I am excited to explore what that might be.

So, in the end, I guess one of my key takeaways from my experience is this: trust God. Trust God when things are going well. Trust God when things are going not-well. Trust God when it’s June and people are giving you weird looks for not knowing what college you’re going to, because it is His plan. Consider this Psalm, and rest in the knowledge that no matter how crazy things may seem, God is ultimately in control and knows exactly what you need.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7)