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Yesterday, I turned in my last assignment for the year and I can’t help but reflect on what my first year of Seminary has meant for me. Last August, my dad and I packed up our cars and started off on the biggest adventure of my life thus far. We made a two-day trip, over 800 miles south to Waco, Texas where I started my first year of graduate school at Truett Seminary with Baylor University.
Seminary was not always in my plans. I actually was planning on attending Law School or getting my MBA, but God spoke to me pretty loudly in the Spring of 2019 that I should reconsider. So… how did I end up in Texas? I have a passion for athletes and sports, and Truett Seminary has the ONLY masters level Sports Ministry program. I didn’t do a ton of research before applying, or even accepting… I knew that it was where I needed to be.
I competed for Miss Iowa summer of 2019 and it was either I won Miss Iowa, or I moved to Texas. Pretty dramatic, I know. But here I am finishing up my first year of seminary and looking back the best year of my life that was full of growth, heartache, celebrations… pretty much every emotion possible.
I am going to share three things I learned about myself, three (+ a bonus) things I learned about God and three of my favorite memories from this past year!
So, let’s start off with three things I learned about myself this past year:
1. I love to host.
I got my mamas hosting bug and I love providing a safe place for people to cultivate relationships. Within the first month, I hosted my first girl’s night and invited a lot of the women in my class to join me for tacos! My goal was to host one once a month, however, school got a little crazy so we only ended up doing it 2 times the first semester. It was great. Having a good hosting space will always be a must-have for me moving forward.
2. I actually don’t know anything (well, now I feel like I know a little… but I didn’t know anything).
Going into Seminary, I thought I was fairly familiar with the Bible… had a decent grasp on things… but NOPE. Within my first week I realized I did not know ANYTHING. Everything I thought I knew was starting to get broken down and I had to ask hard questions like why I believed certain things, or what was important to me. One year down, I still don’t know much- but I was served a BIG piece of HUMBLE PIE this past year and I can confidently admit when I don’t know things.
3. God is going to use me in BIG ways.
During my first month in seminary, I questioned how the heck I was ever going to recover from getting broken down. The culture down south isn’t the most welcoming to women in ministry, and I had no idea what I believed. Did I mishear God’s call? Am I really not allowed to be a pastor as a woman? Why did I just leave my family and friends to go to seminary? Working through these questions led to confidence issues- I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t focus, I was homesick… even looking back at how much of an impact I let other's opinions have on me makes me choke up. As I searched hard for answers by asking God, asking professors, asking classmates, and having a tussle with my own heart- I can now say more confidently than ever before that God is going to use me in BIG ways. I am exactly where He wants me.
Three things I learned about God
1. God is way more complex, and simultaneously simple, than I can ever understand.
He is complex in ways that I can NEVER again try to put Him in a box of this or that, or try to understand how He acts. However, He is simple in the sense that at the end of the day, His love and grace is all I need. I LOVE being challenged by deep, hard questions, but I also understand that as a mere human, my understanding will never be enough to answer all of them.
2. The Bible actually makes sense
Typing that made me laugh out loud. Literally. The Bible doesn’t make sense in the way I thought it did, in which it just tells a story. After having a couple of scripture classes this past year, it actually like makes sense. The visions, the numbers, the people, the genealogies ALL serve a purpose. I am so thankful for my professors and people who have gone before me to write commentaries and study God’s word so deeply. On the surface level, the way I used to read the Bible, sure, it made enough sense. But WOW, when you dive into it and STUDY it… It actually makes sense.
3. God loves EVERYONE. God is for EVERYONE.
I took Scriptures II my second semester which studied the second half of the Old Testament. Through this class, my eyes were opened that God is for EVERYONE. God is for the people that don’t look like me, don’t act like me, don’t live like me and it is my responsibility to be a faithful witness and share the Gospel with everyone. I have had the opportunity to learn from a dear classmate who is literally is a LIGHT on Earth and shares the Gospel so well. If you’re reading this- you know who you are.
4. BONUS. God gives people different interests, skills, and thought processes and we are called to work together.
Okay, as I was writing the other three, I knew I couldn’t leave this one out. My class was over 50 people, and I don’t think there is a single person who feels as though they have the exact same calling as I do. Some are interested in family ministry, couples ministry, camp ministry, mission work, running a book shop, working with athletes, leading worship… yet we are all learning the SAME GOSPEL to go out and do our work. I am so thankful for the desires that God has placed uniquely on everyone’s heart. It is so beautiful to see us all work together, and go out and change the world in different areas.
Okay, now it is time for three of my favorite memories from this year! It is so hard to narrow it down to just three… but here they are!
1. My worlds COLLIDED when my family came and saw me in Waco for Thanksgiving and my birthday.
I got to share campus, my school, and even some of my professors with my family! It was so fun to show them all where I lived, where I studied, where I cooked, where I went for coffee, where I worked… the memories go on and on and I will definitely cherish these moments and their stamp of approval while I finish my degree in the next two years.
2. Signing a lease for a house next year with my gal pals.
I feel as though I finally found my tribe. When we signed our lease we pretty much committed our lives to support and love one another unconditionally the next two years. I am so excited for our adventures, our lame jokes, snuggles, cries, meals, prayers, and the ways we will grow with each other starting in just TWO MONTHS.
3. Snow in Waco!
This was fake snow at the Baylor Christmas Tree Lighting celebration. It was at the end of the semester, I missed home so much, the stress of finals was starting to weigh on me, I was deeply considering if I would be returning for semester II or if I should find somewhere else to attend school… and then this happened. It really wasn’t a lot and if all it takes is cutting up paper to and throwing it in the air to make me happy, I should really do it more often. I really don’t know why this night was a turning point for me, but it was. One of my favorite memories hands down.
I could keep writing about things I’ve learned, ways I’ve grown, or go on with memories that make me smile. But, I think that this is enough for today. Yesterday, I clicked “submit” on my last assignment and officially completed my first year of seminary- something that didn’t seem possible just a year ago. I am thankful for the community at Truett Seminary and I can’t wait to get back to keep learning, growing, and serving.
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