Thoughts from Graduates {C@SE}


Today we will hear from Laura Hahn.  Laura graduated last Friday from the College at Southeastern.  We in the Women's Life Office love Laura, and she has such a servant's heart. College gals, glean from her today.  You'll be glad you did.

If you missed yesterday's post, please click here.



I’m a real college graduate!!!

Oh my, the whirlwind of emotions that comes from graduation. I’m leaving a place that I have come to love. I’m leaving my school, my workplace, and my apartment. I’m leaving all of it at once. However, I keep remembering that my memories will not disappear, and the lessons learned will be in my back pocket for future reference. As I prepare to leave, I am excited to give you a glimpse into what has happened in my head and in my heart during my time here at Southeastern.

When I look back at my time here at SEBTS, I have a variety of memories made and lessons learned. I remember taking Greek my first semester and learning hundreds of words of vocabulary, and then taking a freshman introductory class my last semester. I’ve lost intramural basketball games, had my heart broken, made friends for life, traveled overseas with professors, and made a million other memories.


The College at Southeastern is definitely not what most people would label a typical college experience. There are no wild, drunken parties or 300 person classes with rampant cheating. However, there is the occasional late night Sheetz run and last minute procrastination on 12 page papers. We may not have Division 1 sports, but intramural football does get pretty intense.

Yet there also are many things that stay the same no matter what college you attend, at least for the girls. We still talk about boys and get overly excited about a first date. We still obsess about what we eat and then get on work out tangents. College girls still have the same problems whether you went to a bible college or a state school. But that is where the importance of SEBTS comes in and why I am so thankful to be graduating from this institution.

There are two primary lessons I have learned from my time at SEBTS.  These two lessons actually tie into each other:

1.    
Follow God in obedience every single day, and He will provide everything I need.

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 4:19
This verse and this promise require complete surrender. I’ve become an expert at the prayer, ”Lord, I give you control of my future.” However, I’ve had to learn that giving God control of my future means following Christ on a daily basis. Imagine that, right? I’ve learned to trust Him with the big picture, but it was rare that my actions and worries actually reflected that. As I say to myself, and I say to you: follow your sovereign King everyday and do as He commands.  The result is this: He will provide everything you need.

2.     Do not lose your awe of God.

“Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” –Psalm 33:8
It is easy to let your understanding of God be simply intellectual, but my challenge to myself and to you is this: let your knowledge of God draw you close to His face and His presence so that you may stand in awe of Him.

My main advice to underclassmen:


While grades and GPAs may not be the most important thing in the world, what you are learning is! I don’t want to get on my soapbox, but this is so important: Do not ever use the excuse, “But it isn’t about grades” to justify shoddy work. Instead, tell yourself, “I will use what I’m learning to further my ministry and my capability to share the Gospel more fully.”

Yes, I understand the power of the Spirit and how important it is to let him lead you in ministry. But at the same time, God called you here to learn at Southeastern to learn about Him and prepare for that ministry.

Your grade, 9 times out of 10, reflects how hard you worked and how much you actually cared. Laziness and complacency should not define your time here at Southeastern. Let your time be marked by working hard and yearning to know how to do your job well! This means understanding theology, worldviews, New Testament book outlines, and what Old Testament poetry means. And yes, it might even mean comprehending Nietzsche and Freud’s works.

Start the habit now of getting things done on time and doing them as well as you can. Don’t let complacency rule your life. Do your best out of obedience to God.  Stand in awe of Him.  He will guide your life, and He deserves your best!

So with that:


Work hard, give God the glory, and worship him with all that you have. You won’t regret it!




Laura Hahn is a graduate (as of Friday!) from The College at Southeastern, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies with a minor in missions. She has been a member at Open Door Baptist Church for over two years and enjoys participating in Spanish Fellowship. She enjoys spending time in the outdoors, preferably the mountains, and reading a good book. This July  through December, Laura will be in the Philippines with the IMB doing church planting and discipleship among an unreached people group. As soon as she return Laura will be applying to nursing school at UNC-Chapel Hill.

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