“The most joyous moment about med school is getting the invitation letter and after that it all changes”
Those were the words from an article my classmate, whom we shall call K, read out to me as we sat in class, waiting for our lecturer.
The lecturer eventually came in, and we had a beautiful session. Yet for the rest of the day, the contents of that article kept replaying in my mind like a song on repeat.
It carried me back to the very first days of Year One.
The excitement,the anticipation and the fresh lab coats. The new notebooks and the overflowing enthusiasm of finally stepping onto a path we had prayed for and worked so hard to enter.
Truly this journey has been a mixture of joy and pain for me. I have laughed deeply and cried silently. I have experienced beautiful victories and difficult disappointments. I have gained friendships and lessons I will carry for life. I have failed exam weeeeh! And I have passed others that could only be explained by the hand of God.
Isn’t the Lord faithful?
As I look back, I do not just see lectures, grades and hospital rotations. I see the fingerprints of God all over my story.
I see Him carrying me through seasons where I had no strength left.
I see Him comforting me in hidden battles.
I see Him making a way where there seemed to be none.
I see Him remaining faithful even when my faith felt small and fragile.
There have been days when I have felt overwhelmed and inadequate. Days when I have questioned whether I could truly make it through. Days when anxiety has been loud and hope has felt distant. Yet even in those moments, He has never left me.
Still, He has carried me.
Isaiah 43:2 became more than scripture to me:
‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you.’
Indeed the waters came and almost convinced me otherwise but they did not consume me.
The academic aspect of medical school has been the cake, but the cherry on top has been being part of the Medical School Christian Union. MSCU has become more than a fellowship; it has become home.Within those spaces, I have found meaningful friendships, beautiful sisterhood through Warembo wa God Ladies and the Iris Sisterhood Group, wise counsel, accountability, encouragement and a family away from home. I have found people who have prayed with me in my lowest moments and celebrated with me in my highest ones.
Some of my most treasured medical school memories have not been in lecture halls or wards. They have been in fellowship rooms after long, exhausting weeks. There is something sacred about lifting worship to God after a week that tries to break you. Somehow, in those moments, peace returns.
Songs like Goodness of God and Jireh became more than music.
‘All my life You have been faithful,
All my life You have been so so good’
And indeed He has been.
There have been times when I have had my back against the wall and could not see a way forward, yet God has still made a way. Doors have opened unexpectedly. Mountains have moved. Walls have fallen. He has proved Himself faithful again and again.
I have learnt that success in medicine means very little if you lose yourself in the process. Degrees are important, but walking with God is everything. Titles are beautiful, but intimacy with Christ is eternal.
As we approach the end of this chapter, my prayer is not only that we become doctors, but that we remain grounded in God. That we never become too educated to depend on Him. That we never become too busy to seek Him. That we finish this race with Christ still at the center.
Medicine has stretched us.
Life shaped us.
God refined us.
And through it all, His grace has been sufficient.
To anyone out there walking through medical school or through life in general, hold onto God tightly. Stay faithful even when it gets hard. Keep seeking Him in exhausting seasons. Stay rooted in fellowship because community matters and God truly works through people.
I remain grateful to the MSCU family. Thank you for the prayers, laughter, fellowship, counsel, support and memories. Thank you for making this journey lighter and infinitely more meaningful.
As for medical school itself, what a journey it has been this far!!! We entered with excitement and perfectly ironed lab coats. We now carry testimonies, resilience, sleep deprivation and a permanent relationship with tea and coffee.
But above all, we are leaving with evidence of God faithfulness, and for that I will forever praise Him.
‘Praise the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits.’ Psalm 103:2
To greater heights.
Adios.
~Dorancy K.
