hello people.

i really need your opinions on this. what would you do in my place?

okay so i've decided i want to be a doctor but...
a few weeks ago i was reading something and I felt that God told me to become a nurse. Of course, right away i dismissed the idea because a nurse is something I never wanted to be. It's a hard job with a low pay(more about that later). But it's been bothering me for a while now and really soon I'm going to need to make a decision. Now, I know what you're all probably thinking "Why don't you just pray about it?" Well, the reason is because I'm afraid that God will tell me to do something I don't want to do.
now the reason it's been bothering me so much is because i feel guilty that I'm being stubborn and not submitting to God's will. I reason, and i think that being a doctor would be a better option because I would have more time to do things for God and I will have more time and money to use for God. you see, here's the story...

five years ago, my grandpa(who lived in the Dominican Republic) had a heart attack. I was in the U.S and it was too late for me to come to see him and no way to get in touch with him. He was still alive while he was in the hospital but due to improper medical care passed away the next day. He was not a Christian, but if some nurse came up to him in the last moments of his life and told him about Jesus, I'm 99% sure he would of accepted and been saved. okay I think you all see where I'm going with this...

so any advice for me? thanks. oh and i forgot to mention...after getting my edu. I would like to go to work in the Dominican. And the nurses there get barely enough pay to feed their families. Doctors get significantly more. So yeah, any advice? Oh, and I am a girl and do plan to have a big family (including adopting kids).

I'm not sure you have seriously considered what "being a doctor" entails. What type of doctor would you like to be? You could be a pediatrician, an eye doctor, a dentist ect... these are all things you must consider. Then you have to also consider the education that is involved, if you aren't 100% committed to wanting to complete medical school then you probably wont. It is very competitive and it takes years of hard work. So my advice would be to make sure you are really and truly convicted to becoming a doctor, and I would of course pray about it.

Also on a side note, if you want to have a big family and what not you probably have to start looking at what types of medical professions would actually leave you enough time and money to do that. I would probably talk to a college councilor if you have one about options.

Thanks Seaisabella!

well, I've already decided that I want to be a doctor and what kind of doctor I want to be. But I just feel that I might not be doing God's will if I become a doctor but I'm afraid to pray about it because I don't want God to tell me to become a nurse. Anyway...any more replies? I really need to make a decision soon...Just give me some advice/ideas/anything you guys can think of...thanks.

hey, for real, if you're lucky enough to get a sign from god to be a nurse then you better be one. what could go wrong? i'm trying to figure out what i wanna do and where i wanna go to school, but i've yet to interpret any hint of what god really wants me to be. you know what i'm saying? i wish god would tell me what to do. if he did, i'd sure as hell do it.

i mean, give god a chance. at least pray about it and no matter what you decide god will use it. anything can work. you can say no to god if you want. he's still your friend, but he's your smartest friend so i would listen to him.

Thanks samlovesham!

You brought up some really good points. But you said "what could go wrong?" well the problem is ...i'm afraid I might not have enough money to support my family.

Didn't God promise, that whatever you do for Him, He will provide for you?
"His eye is on the sparrow"

It sounds like God really wants you to be a nurse. Even though you may not want to, I would still pray about it. God knows what He's doing - if there's somewhere He wants you to be, then it probably means that ultimately you'll be happier. Despite the decrease of pay from being a nurse, I don't think that that should be a big issue. No matter the size of your family, you can trust that God will always provide for you, especially financially, no matter what. I say this especially from personal experience, God has been providing for me my entire life. I know it is a huge leap of faith, but God is trustworthy and knows exactly what He's doing

If God wants you to be a nurse, He will provide for your family. Also, doctors have much less time for their families than nurses. That's another thought to keep in mind.

I am a 19 year old college student, and have just gone through the same decision you are going through. to put the story bluntly I decided to go the direction I felt God was leading me, and that was to be a nurse.
I thought for the longest time that God wanted me to be a doctor, but it turned out that was me thinking that way because my earthly father and family loved the idea of me becoming one. I was convinced that I was going to become a cardiologist, and spend my life going on medical missions trips. But red flags started going up.
I found that doctors worked less with people than nurses: I love working with people. One of my friends at school who plans on becoming a doctor said that Cardiologist would be the last type of doctor she would choose to be because she has an uncle in Puerto Rico who is a Cardiologist, has hardly any time for his family, and is often called out in the middle of the night in order to do an emergency heart surgery. I realized I would not have the funds to pay for med school, which means hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans. Doctors also have a higher risk of depression, something I have struggled with in my past. I also met alot of nurses in my classes at school who said they loved what they do (all are in transition from either an LPN degree to AS in nursing or an AS to BS in nursing). I also found out that a lady I know at my church, (who is also an amazing evangelist) is a nursing teacher at my school. I talked to her and she encouraged me to go into nursing. I realized none of the woman I talked to complained about pay. I realized most of my motivation to become a doctor was from my Dad, who is a Christian, but grew up in a household of little education, and even less money. So he has always encouraged me to study, study, study so that I can get a job that pays well. He never told me to try and figure out what God wants me to be. So I realized on my own where God was leading me.
Two summers ago I went on my first and only (so far) mission trip to the Dominical Republic. While I was there I got to visit a hospital There were few medical staff, and many sick people. The group I was with went to give out clothes and share the gospel. With the help of our interpreters, and jesus cubes, we shared the gospel with some of the most receptive people I have ever come across. I can completely understand God calling you to the DR: many of the people there have never heard the gospel and, instead of being offended when you share the gospel the majority have a hunger to know more.
Hope this helps.

Isaiah 26:3- You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Thanks so much everyone!

I read all the answers. They were all really encouraging.
Christallsuz: it's so cool that you went to the DR. But you said that none of the women you talked to complained about the pay for nursing. Yeah the pay is good in America...but not in the DR...and I plan to live and work in the DR.