Anna Lauren shares about her year

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Anna Lauren and her younger sister

I asked one of our current students to share a few thoughts about her year.  Anna Lauren came to ESBS after her freshman year at Auburn University and she's headed back there this fall.  Here are her thoughts:

            "A few weeks ago I was asked what was the biggest lesson that I had learned over the past year.  My answer shocked me in a way because it was not what I would have expected at the beginning of the year, “I am a crazy, screwed up, mess, and that is okay. Faith is being obedient not perfect.”  I was humbled and grateful by this answer.

            Coming in to ESBS there were two things that were going through my head: A. I had NO idea what I was getting myself into, and B. Whatever I was getting myself into I figured I would come out a Bible scholar.  That seemed cool, so I was up for it.  But the Lord.  He had different plans, and He had a different purpose for me.  And sure enough, His ways would always prevail over my small, finite perceptions and ideas. 

            While over the past year I have learned more than I could ever imagine about the Bible, I have also learned that it is not all about knowing the Bible but applying it as well.  As I look back over the past year I have struggled in ways and dealt with issues that I never thought would ever be faced with, but I can see that God was using ever single day and circumstance for His good and glory.  Through studying the Bible I have realized that the more and more I understand the character of God the less and less I have to understand my own struggles.  Why?  Because He is in total control, and He is sovereign over all.  Paul speaks on this is 2 Corinthians 12:7 when he refers to the persecution he is facing as being a “thorn in his flesh.” But he goes on to say that that the Lord showed him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” (12:9).  Paul is wanting the church in Corinth today to realize that they are free to struggle in their day to day lives, but at the same time they can rest in the fact that His grace is more than enough. 

            This past year has showed me that I am free and okay to struggle in life, and I am not called to be perfect. I am called to be obedient, and sometimes that looks like giving up and declaring that He is in control.  This truth alone has changed my entire world, and it has rocked it for the better.  As I continue to reflect and remember the past year I will be eternally grateful for this past year!"