A Testimony of His Grace
By: Samuel Akinribade
One of the best feelings in the world is when your hard work pays off. Think about it – remember when you practiced so many times to tie your shoe, and you finally got it? Or when you pulled an all-nighter to study for a test that you got an A on? Ahh, that feeling of achievement when hard work finally pays off. I wish I could link that feeling to the testimony of me graduating from college in three and half years. Actually, I do not wish that. My testimony of my college experience is one that could not have happened without the intervention of a good good Father. I was someone that went from graduating high school with a 2.3 grade point average to graduating college with honors. This cannot be easily mistaken for MY hard work. So, if you are expecting to hear the story of me working really hard until I finally got to see my hard work pay off, sorry, this is not the article to read. This is a documentation of what the Lord did for me. And oh, no I will not just sit here and over-spiritualize my testimony and say it was faith, faith, faith, but it also took corresponding action for me to see my goals become reality.
My passion to excel in academics was sparked in my junior year in high school. I remember it like it was yesterday –- year 2011. I had the strong desire to succeed in academics because I wanted to attend my dream university – University of Maryland. Yes, that was a dream of mine that was placed on hold because of the commodity of the academic world, that dreadful grade point average. By the time I was enlightened about the importance of getting a great GPA, it was a little too late to get the GPA I desperately wanted. So, I graduated high school with a low GPA and ended up attending a school that I never considered. Seeing the reaction of my parents, after telling them my decision to enroll at the magnificent UMES, I knew I had to devise a game plan. And yes, I love my UMES – Hawk PRIDE!!! Back to the story. My parents urged me to come up with a two year game plan which prioritized on me transferring to my dream school. I came up with the game plan and had it all figured out. I was well on my way to going to my dream school after all.
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”
Psalm 19:21 NIV
I went into my first semester with great expectation and great confidence. I asked the Lord for two simple things: to graduate school early and to never fail/drop a class. A lot of people, to this, day ask me, “why were you in a rush to graduate?” My answer is simply this: I wanted to be in position for God to do something monumental in my life. I did not want to rush the process of school, nor was it because I did not like UMES and wanted to leave as soon as possible, but I had the intentions of graduating early and the Lord answered the desire of my heart. The summer before my actual official semester on the UMES campus, I received some bad advice from my academic advisor. The advice was so bad, it almost caused me to fail a class that I did not need. Praise be to God, I did not fail. Everything worked out for my good. But, man oh man, did I learn a valuable lesson. Even if you get promising advice from somebody, always remember to commit the plan back to God. From there on, I followed my degree audit and continued to press on.
With a 3.5 GPA, after my first year of college, I applied to the honors program and got admitted. Not only was I an honor student, but I was a student that was going to school for free. Yes indeed, they gave me a scholarship. I was very excited for that academic year. Everything was going well, good grades and free schooling, what could beat that? To get a well-paid internship was next on my bucket list. Although I got opportunities to interview at a couple of governmental agencies for accounting, I was turned down by every single one because of my age. Sucks to be young, right? The only internship that considered me, actually denied me because of issues concerning distance. That situation ignited my passion to apply to UMD. I applied and guess what? I got in. Man, was I excited to know I would be in a university where my friends are and I’d be able to work towards my career. After a series of unfortunate events, I was not able to attend UMD. I went back to UMES with great sorrow. Not because of the school, but because I was limited to a school that was 2 hours away.
But the Lord encouraged me through dreams and through people. He wanted to answer my prayer of graduating early and never failing a class. On going back to UMES, I met the manifested plans of the Lord. Things and doors began to open up for me; I got offered an internship from a government agency, I met a campus organization called Bethel Campus Fellowship, where I became a leader, taking my walk to a whole different level, and I was in great shape of graduating early. And I still had my scholarship from the honors program. “It ain’t so bad.” *Rocky Balboa's voice*
“Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”
Psalm 19:5-6 HCSB
Prior to my senior year, I thought the blessing of God was so great. Little did I know, that was the beginning of more blessings. Fast-forward to my senior year. The Lord favored me in ways and opportunities I couldn’t even imagine. At this point, the Lord gave me a great internship position with the federal government. I was also nominated to participate in a university sales competition. I did not desire to partake in this competition but wanted to honor the director of career services, so I did and God gave me the grace to win. The winner was offered a chance to land a position with a fortune 500 company. God opened opportunities for me to get a full time position at different places. The Lord gave me options. Not only that! The Lord has given me the opportunity to matriculate at the school that I dreamed to attend. Glory to Jesus!! I am in total awe of what God is able to do. I never feared because I knew God was at my right hand. My senior year was a year of rest. God made academics easy for me, He did that so I could focus on doing His will on campus. I am here to declare to you that God is surely able to do that which He said He will do. Because of the promise He has given me through that Psalm, I was able to find the encouragement to keep responding to the faith He has placed inside of me.
“I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor can anything be taken from it, for God does it so that men will fear and worship Him [with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is God].”
Ecclesiastes 3:14 AMP
My college experience is summed up into this very verse. God did a thing in my life and in that, no plan of mine nor of my parents, was able to contribute or negate the perfect plan that my Heavenly Father had planned for me. Looking back at all of this gave me a deeper reverence for the Lord. Through my experience I came to learn three things about God: 1) God is more than able to do that which we ask of Him, 2) Despite the situations and hardship that occur, God is a God that keeps to His word, and lastly, 3) if you commit yourself and your plans unto the Lord and trust Him with your whole heart, He will do exceedingly and abundantly more than you could ever plan because He is our hope of Glory. I encourage you to truly commit your plans unto the Lord and stand on the word that He shared or will share with you and just BELIEVE…
Samuel Akinribade is a recent graduate of University of Maryland, Eastern Shore with a Bachelors of Arts in Accounting. In his free time, Sam enjoys playing the guitar and experiencing life with his friends.