Trusting God's Perfect Timing in College

Even if you try to schedule your life down to the minute, nothing will ever go perfectly according to plan. That's why it's so important to trust God's timing and look to Him for direction. For recent graduate Beckett Millhouse ('21), his time at Patrick Henry College took many unexpected turns that made him realize God is the one who opens and closes doors.

PHC’s unique core classes, especially  Freedom’s Foundations and Principles of Biblical Reasoning (PBR), encouraged Beckett to be more thoughtful about theological and philosophical concepts. In PBR, Dr. Randy Newman discussed theology in a way that made Beckett reevaluate his previous ideas about evangelism. Dr. Newman taught his classes with less emphasis on the academics and greater emphasis on one’s personal quest to comprehend God.

Looking to examples of Christ, Beckett discovered that it was not as important to have all the answers about God as it was to have the desire to understand Him. Students came to class because they found value within Newman’s lectures, not solely to improve their grades.

Beckett has never been one to have a specific career goal in mind, even as a kid. He decided to major in American Politics & Policy because he enjoyed conversing with friends about politics. As he neared graduation, he felt like the door to finding the "perfect" career path was closing. Then, God surprised him with the best gift of all—meeting his wife, Audrey ('22).

“Getting married has made me realize that my career isn’t going to be the center of my life, having a family is,” Beckett reflects. A joke between the Millhouses is that even if God’s will directs them away from their major careers, it was worth it to have paid thousands of dollars to meet each other.

While he was a student, Beckett led campus tours and answered prospective students’ questions. One piece of advice he gave to everyone was to go where God guides them. PHC is committed to both academic strength and honoring God, so Beckett was able to emphasize with prospective students the College's commitment to Christian values and following God's will. 

“While I love PHC,” Beckett says seriously, “if you feel like [God] is leading you somewhere else, then don’t attend here.”

PHC’s engaging conversational atmosphere pushed Beckett to wrestle with various theological questions. Because he did not study much theology before college, Beckett was impressed by all the opinions everyone had and the unfamiliar terms they used. Before PHC, he tended towards cynicism, but talking with students who cared deeply about various issues made him start to care as well. He learned that it is important to discuss difficult questions rather than ignore them, even when there is not a simple answer.

The influence of both classmates and professors has reminded him that no matter what happens, God is always good. He cares about the details of people’s lives and controls the outcomes. “He cares about the little things that impact you,” Beckett says.

Beckett currently works in construction management and he and Audrey are expecting a baby in July. No matter what the future holds, he knows that God is in control and will open the right doors in His perfect timing.

Beckett has thought about returning to school to pursue a master’s or doctorate degree, but for right now, he wants to enjoy God’s blessing of family. “We’re really happy where we are,” Beckett says. “Wherever we end up, even without knowing the details, we’re going to be happy together.”

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