It’s Official! 🎉

On the evening of July 27th, 2021, I finally and officially completed my medical degree 🎉.

I know that I’ve mentioned it vaguely in previous posts about being delayed in completing medical school, but I never really got into the details. It’s not that I’m intentionally trying to keep it a secret, it’s simply because it is A LOT to process and share.

This journey was very far from smooth. I fought through it right up until my final year in April 2019 when things came to an abrupt halt. The last 2 years…. My faith in God was tested and it became the only thing that helped me to keep pushing forward and in my right mind. Nothing made sense. NOTHING. It all seemed too bizarre to be real.

One of the main reasons I kept details to a minimum is because the average person probably would not believe that I was telling the truth. How do I know? Because I tried. I tried explaining it to a few initially, and they just didn’t get it. They couldn’t understand. Their default was to offer generic sympathy, advice or solutions that, if placed in my position, I’m sure they would not even consider taking. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to fight through and overcome to date.

All of this is what pushed me to finally start this blog. Before 2019, I constantly made excuses for why I couldn’t do any of this. Those following me for any amount of time know that my posts are usually faith-based and inspired by personal experience. Well… God divinely cleared my schedule with this 2-year “pause” and eliminated all my excuses. That was the push I needed to just start.

When I received my letter that I passed my final exam, I don’t think it quite sunk in until a few days later when I made a post on social media about it. Something about making it public was like a sigh of relief. I felt like I had been walking around the last 2 years holding my breath and I was finally able to exhale. The weight of delay, disappointed, uncertainty, shame and frustration was lifted.

If you know me well then you’ll know that I’m a pretty private person. I’m not one to be very open with everyone in real life or social media. But after what I’ve been through… I’ve learnt that nothing hard that we go through in life is to cause us pain just because… When we go through things and overcome them, best believe that you will not be the first or last to endure something similar.

God wants to use your story, your journey for His glory. Someone is looking for a reason not to quit and you might just be that reason. With that knowledge, I’m learning to put my personality aside and be obedient, even if it seems “out of character” to others. Initially, it is difficult, especially if you struggle with being a “people-pleaser”. Remember, people will always have something to say whether you speak up or keep quiet, so just be obedient and do whatever God tells you to do. No other opinion matters but His and He will never put you to shame (Romans 10:11).

God doesn’t care about my personality. He cares about the assignments that he’s given me to fulfill my purpose on earth. So though I’m not one to naturally boast or flaunt my successes, some might see my posts and think otherwise, but this is not that. My posts are meant to be the glimmer of hope for that one person who needs a reason to keep going on. Lack of transparency is what keeps us stuck in toxic cycles of shame and guilt because no one wants to be the one to speak up. There’s deliverance in transparency.

I know most will look at this accomplishment and the title “Doctor” and think that’s what I’m most excited about. Believe it or not, that’s not it at all. At least not anymore. My goal at this point was to complete this degree. I knew that if I left this degree incomplete, it would lead to a continuous cycle of not completing anything that I start moving forward. I was one exam away from completing yet I was willing to walk away because of the pain I had to endure to get it.

I surrendered everything to God and told Him that He could have the degree. I will do what He wants me to do, even if that means switching careers. This success is to show off on God, not me. This degree is proof that God will bring to completion anything that He allows us to start (Philippians 1:6).

This journey is not just for me, it’s for the one waiting to hear my story so that he or she has the hope to keep going in life. Let’s each do our part for the one whose life might depend on it.

#ToBeContinued

Love & Blessings,

Brittany Krystal