The journey of watching Lucas pour his heart and soul into college applications has been both inspiring and gut-wrenching. Each essay, every meticulously crafted sentence, and each moment spent reviewing his work has revealed not just his ambition but also his vulnerability. He’s putting his hopes and dreams on the line, not knowing where this path will lead.
As his mom, it’s an incredible thing to witness—his determination, his drive, his hope. And yet, the uncertainty looms. The reality of college rejections is part of this process, and it’s something I’ve been grappling with deeply.
In a recent therapy session, I brought this fear to light. How do I handle the potential rejection letters? How do I help Lucas navigate such disappointment? My therapist, one of my favorite people in the world, gave me an answer that initially felt like a punch to the gut: “Let him be disappointed.”
My immediate response? “Oh, I can’t let him be disappointed.” After all, isn’t it my job to shield him, to soften life’s blows? But as we talked, she gently guided me through tools to help navigate the highs and lows of this journey. While I am so grateful for the tools therapy has equipped me with, I’ll admit that implementing them in real life feels like climbing a mountain.
Shortly after that session, I came across a quote that struck a chord. It was from the TV show 1923, and it spoke directly to my heart. The quote goes:
“There are only 3 answers to a prayer: Yes, not yet, and I have something else in mind for you. Man’s great challenge is trusting ‘not yet’ or ‘something else.’ And avoiding the foolish notion of hope. Wishing at nothing that your unanswered prayers are granted. Hope is the surrender of authority to your fate and trusting it to the whims of the wind. My family does not hope. We fight for what we believe until we have it or we are destroyed by the pursuit.”
Hearing these words was like a light bulb moment. They reminded me that while hope is important, so is faith—faith in the bigger picture, in God’s plan, in outcomes we can’t yet understand. (you can listen to it here –>https://youtu.be/M0Y6mnUch8w?si=aY1dxvReGQ3IaGDj)
Watching Lucas fight for his dreams has made me realize that this process is more than just about where he gets accepted or rejected. It’s about who he becomes through the pursuit. The resilience he’s building, the grit he’s showing, and the faith he’s learning to trust—these are lessons that will last far beyond any acceptance letter.
As much as I’d love to shield him from disappointment, I know that his journey—the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens—is shaping him into someone extraordinary. My job isn’t to control the outcome but to walk alongside him, steady and ready to support him no matter what.
So here’s to trusting the “not yet” and “something else” answers. Here’s to faith over fear, to fighting for dreams, and to being brave enough to let disappointment be a teacher. Lucas’s journey is a reminder to me, too, to lean into the process and trust that something beautiful is unfolding—even if we can’t yet see the full picture.
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