My eldest is 15, he’s in his last year of high school and it’s college entrance test time.  Unlike me who also went off to college at age 15, he knows what he wants to do: he wants to take up law (no surprises there, I guess).  The one thing he doesn’t know is what pre-law course to take or where to take it.  Since he’s in a science high school where presumably, academic standards are more rigorous, he has set his sights high.  My daughter is more like me — there are so many courses to choose from, so many exciting things to learn and discover, it’s so difficult to choose.  Thank goodness my daughter has until next year to think about all this.

On Friday, my son left school early to process his first college entrance test application.  We did not know that it was the last day for filing for Metro Manila schools: the line was three blocks long!  As he does not come from a Metro Manila school, he had until June 21 to file, so we decided to come back on Monday.  We finished filing his application on Monday.  It took one hour to pay at the LandBank, one hour to file the application and wait for the issuance of the test permit.  All that time, my son had his first taste of public education: lining up and waiting for your name/number to be called.

Understandably, he felt overwhelmed.  The sheer number of applicants (last year, it was reported to be 70,000 applicants) narrowed his chances of getting in.  The difficulty in filing the application form alone was daunting.  He didn’t know where to go (I told him to follow the crowd and ask questions from guards).  He would have to go through this ‘freshie’ period some time in whatever school he goes to, he should get used to it. it. I just waited for him.

When all that was done, he turned to me and asked, ‘If I don’t get admitted here, where can I go?”  I suppose that is the question most of his batch mates would be asking themselves as well.  Where to go and how to get there is an oft-repeated question at his age.  Well, I joked, you certainly cannot go to UST because it floods there all the time.  You can’t go to any of the U-belt schools because it floods there, too. We’re not Catholic so you probably won’t enjoy yourself in Ateneo or LaSalle – you’ll stick out like a sore thumb, there.  There’s only one place for you, son.  So better hit the books and make sure you do your utter best to get in there because that’s the only place where you can belong.  Not to be outdone, he quipped, “I can always apply at Harvard!”

Most people choose a college because of prestige, or because of an opportunity for a scholarship.  Others choose a college because a college is known for a certain specialization.  I told my son that he needed a home for his academic/iintellectual soul.  I found a home for my academic/intellectual soul in UP and so did his Dad.  He’s cut from our cloth and so I think he’ll find a home there, too.

But then, we are Bible-believing Christians so we believe in the will of God.  I told him to be open to God’s leading.  Tell the Lord what you want and what you need.  Don’t insist that He give you what you desire, I cautioned.  Instead, give the choice up to God—commit your way to God.  Tell the Lord to lead you where He wants you to be.  Be confident that if you hand over the reins to the Lord, He will know best where to lead you.  His will cannot lead you where His hand cannot keep you.  Do your best on all the tests you will take, but leave the choice up to God.  His choice is always the best for you.

It’s funny that even applying for a college entrance test can be a matter of faith. Talking with his school’s registrar and getting his documents signed was a matter of asking God’s favor.  Making sure that all the necessary signatories (the guidance counselor and the principal) were all in school on the day that he was going to process his papers was also a matter of God’s favor.

The traffic was horrendous on Monday.  At the FX terminal near our house, it took us an hour standing in line before we were able to get on an FX shuttle.  Skirting the traffic bottleneck on Iba Road increased our travel time by an hour.  Lining up at the bank and at the Office of Admissions took another two hours.  It was exhausting!  I cannot believe that I used to do all those things every semester at registration time.  I used to run up and down the four floors of AS and hop on an Ikot jeep to get to the gym to sign up for PE.  I’d line up for registration at each classroom for 5 or 6 classes, line up at the assessment, line up at the ISSI for payment and still have the stamina to catch a movie at SM North Edsa to reward myself for a job well done.

Yesterday, I did not have the same stamina I had when I was 15 (when I was a freshie at the AS) or when I was 22 and a ‘freshie’ at UP Law.  Yesterday, I prayed all the time.  I prayed for strength, I prayed for direction.  (Benton Hall, or PHAN — as my generation knew it — no longer houses the Office of the University Registrar– they have their own building at the back of Vargas Museum!). I prayed for patience.  I prayed for cheerfulness.  I prayed that God smooth the way for us, or give us the strength to hold on for the bumpy ride. I prayed God for spiritual insight and discernment into the situation. God gave us all that we asked for yesterday.

It’s hard to imagine how getting on an FX and getting a principal’s signature can be matters of faith.  If God is a living presence in your life everything is a matter of faith; for without faith, it is impossible to please God.  Am I confident that my son will pass the entrance tests he will take this year?  I am confident that the God I call on is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. I am confident that if we commit our way unto the Lord, He will direct our path. I am confident that if we ask anything according to His will, God hears us.  And because God hears us, we know that we receive the petitions we desire of Him.  Not my will, but Thine be done (in my life, as well as in my son’s! and my daughter’s!).  To God be all the glory!