To the Penny

Shortly after I completed my bachelor's degree and got married, I began work toward a master's degree. Several promotions, two children, and more than a decade later, I finally reached that long-awaited target. Then I realized I needed a doctorate to accomplish my goal of teaching in a university setting. By then, I was a 36-year-old wife and mother with no way to pay for a doctoral education.

My husband, Bill, and I began to pray that the Lord would help us know if I should pursue my doctorate at that time. In order to return to school full time, I would have to leave my job, which would substantially reduce our family income. Although we could limit our expenses somewhat, we still needed more finances than one salary could provide.

My accountant husband calculated the extra income we needed to meet our basic needs if I should quit my job. Then we began to pray for a full tuition fellowship and for a specific amount of money as a cash stipend. These levels of funding were rare in my intended field, but we prayed.

I promised the Lord that I would be content no matter how He answered our prayers.

One day someone from the dean's office at the university called me, offering me a full tuition scholarship for three years of doctoral study. I was pleased with this generous offer. But my heart sank since they didn't include a cash stipend, which meant I couldn't realistically continue in school. Bill and I prayed that evening and during the night. The next morning he said he felt I should accept the fellowship, and that we would figure out how to make up the needed income. I was uncomfortable. Without a cash award, I believed I should not to go to school. However, at Bill's urging, I accepted the fellowship for tuition.

The dean's office then told me that since I had accepted their offer of admission and the tuition fellowship, they could now offer me a second teaching fellowship. It included a cash salary for three years and was, to the penny, the amount Bill had calculated and for which we had prayed.

At that point, I saw that my doctorate was a gift from the Lord.

I promised to use it for the rest of my life in whatever ways He led.

Since turning my life and my degree over to Him, I have not been disappointed. My path has not always been easy. I have turned down several well-paying secular jobs that did not seem to be within His will and plan. I have met professional challenges. But, I have lived content in the fact that "His" degree was a gift that I must invest well. So when someone congratulates me about my academic or professional accomplishments, I am proud to share His story.

Anita Henck is vice president for Student Development at Eastern Nazarene College. Anita and her husband, Bill, are the parents of Alayna and Andrew.

Holiness Today, Nov/Dec 2005

Please note: This article was originally published in 2005. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.