God created everyone very unique and everyone has their own unique stories in life. I thought I’ll share my unique story of how I encountered God, and my whole life changed for the better, as a result! This is my own personal testimony of my ‘conversion’, and I hope that it inspires you also to come closer to God, and accept His will in your life!
“My name is Annilyn. I’m a doctor by profession. But today, I am living God’s will in my life to stay at home and homeschool our 9 children.
Though I had a good relationship with God from early childhood, He was not really the center of my life. I have always been an overachiever, very academically driven, and not very willing to give in to defeat. I was always top in my class, and that used to be my main priority during school years. Before marriage, I never at all imagined I will be having a large family, or dared to even think that I will be a housewife and stay home.
I was married after I completed medical school in India, and before applying to residency in the US. There were numerous instances where I saw God’s helping hand, throughout my life; during school, and after marriage. My husband had started his residency, but since we had our oldest child, I could only apply the following year. We definitely saw God’s helping hand in our life as I got accepted to a competitive Pathology residency program in the same hospital my husband had already started his residency.
God’s work had slowly started in me while I was doing my residency, as I was open to having 4 children, by the time I finished my residency and fellowship; though it is a tough period, with up-to 80-100 hours per week schedules. My husband had finished his residency earlier than me, and had started homeschooling the older 2, while waiting for me to finish. At the end of my residency, he had a conviction to continue homeschooling, although I wasn’t completely on board as I didn’t want to be staying at home. So we initially decided that I will work and he continues to homeschool. I passed my Boards, and I interviewed, 36 weeks pregnant with our 4rth child, and was offered a very good job; and life was good, until they called one week later. They had some issues at the institution that they had to cancel the offer. Life became still for a moment. We had already made moving plans. We definitely wanted to move somewhere South. Since I didn’t have other openings at that time, my husband applied to a leading hospital in Texas, was accepted, and we moved. At that time our plan was that, when another opening comes up, I will apply and we switch roles again.
Soon as we move, my husband starts going to work, and I step into my new role of homeschooling. A few weeks into our ‘new life’, my eyes opened, and I was able to see the beauty of being a mother, able to stay at home with the kids and look after them and be involved in their formation. And I fell in love with homeschooling! I was able to experience great peace in my new role as homeschool teacher and mom, that I was strongly convinced that this was God’s plan. “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit”. (John 12:24) So at that point, I was willing to completely surrender to His plan, as I had complete faith that I could trust Him and that His plans are way better than mine.
It opened the door to so many blessings in our life! I was receptive to having 5 more children, which I probably would have never even imagined, had I been working. We were truly able to embrace and cherish the joy that each new child added to the family! My husband had a stable job, and God had been blessing him on a professional level. Today, I am reasonably efficiently able to manage the household, with even 9 children. And I can confidently say that it is all because of the abundant graces He keeps pouring into my life every day, as a result of being obedient to His will of homeschooling, and being open to having a large family.
There are definitely more challenges and sacrifices involved in having a large family, but I am able to experience His presence through the graces He bestows. Even today, there are so many opportunities for my own spiritual renewal through instances that God provides me through homeschooling and my vocation of motherhood, helping me to grow closer to Him every day, as well as depending on Him, more and more. Even though I have my distractions and struggles, I am able to have a much deeper personal relationship with God, and a life centered on Him. I can relate to Him as a person walking right beside me. I may have been successful on a professional level and barely making it through life, but the kind of joy I experience now is an even greater joy, and I would never trade it for anything else!
I am also able to come off with the conviction that by trusting in Him and yielding to His plan, there is nothing to worry about. What may have seemed hard to take at that moment as it was my plan that failed, turned out to be a door to abundant blessings, as it was actually God’s plan!
“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose”. (Romans 8:28)
This is how God stepped down into my life, caught my attention, and turned it around for the better. I know that He wants to meet each and every one of His beautiful creation, and have unique plans for each of us! I invite you all to understand His will in your life, make necessary changes, and enter into a beautiful journey with Him! “