APRIL (not her real name) was near the end of four years at a liberal arts college before she knew "what she wanted to be when she grew up." She had been interested in nursing, and a medical experience of her own led her to decide for sure that she wanted to become a nurse.

Upon graduation she moved back home. Dreading more years of schooling, April immediately began to take prerequisite classes for nursing school. After two years, she was accepted to an accelerated nursing program at a private university.

The fact that it was an accelerated program was very important to April. She could finish an RN program in two years and have a BS degree. After eight years of college work she would finally be finished with school. Not only was she tired of going to school, she felt like life was passing her by. Many of her friends were married and having families, or already had their careers well under way. She was still living with and dependent on her mom and dad; though they were very supportive, she was past ready to be on her own.

As April entered her last year of nursing school, she let her instructors know that she would be missing some clinical days (days the student nurses do actual hospital work as part of their training). April would miss these days because she would be attending the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Holy Days all fell on clinical days. (For more information regarding the Feast of Tabernacles and the other Holy Days, request a free copy of the booklet entitled God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.) The instructors were not happy with this news and said they could not allow her to miss clinicals unless the provost gave his approval.

April and her parents prayed about the matter. Then she went to see the provost. On the first visit, April's Dad went with her for moral support. The provost listened and was very kind. He told her he would let her know his decision after he discussed it with her instructors.

On the second visit, April went alone and this time the provost was very unfriendly. He refused to make an exception for her, though he admitted to making exceptions for others for events such as weddings. He told April that because her religion was not mainstream, he would not make an exception for her.

April chose to resolve the problem by taking a semester's leave of absence, and graduating a semester behind her class. This was a crushing blow for someone anxious to be done with school. Still, April wanted to obey God. She saw in I Samuel 2:30 God's promise to honor those who honor him. She didn't know how God would fulfill his promise. Life looked pretty grim at that moment. Many tears were shed, but she acted on faith.

Since April had an open semester on her hands, she decided to seek work as a nurse's aide in a local children's hospital. She was hired and began to put into practice some of the things she had learned in nursing school. This experience gave her confidence, and when she went back to school the next semester she was a better student. Upon graduation the following December, she was immediately hired as an RN by the children's hospital that she had worked for. She didn't have to go through the ordeal of looking for a job in a city where the nursing staff in most hospitals was being cut. As it worked out, others in April's class, for various reasons, also graduated a semester late, so she was not alone. She wouldn't have been alone anyway. God was always with her!

There are many times in our lives when God gives us the opportunity to prove whether we will honor Him. When the choice is difficult, it helps to remember I Samuel 2:30.