When we look back at the various doors that open throughout our lives, we realize that some of the greatest gifts are the opportunities we didn’t fully appreciate in the moment. Today’s prompt asks what is one opportunity I am most thankful for. One of the biggest opportunities I am profoundly thankful for is the privilege of attending a private Christian university—Hardin-Simmons University.
Financially, it was a challenge for my family. My dad was a small business owner and minister and my mom was a school administrator. Both of my parents had graduated from Christian universities themselves, so they deeply valued that kind of foundational education and wanted the same for me.
At the time, though, I had very different ideas! I actually wanted to go to a much larger state school. I know with absolute certainty that I would not have made it at a massive university.
Hardin-Simmons provided an environment where students weren’t just numbers in a giant lecture hall. Faculty and staff members took the time to check on students outside the classroom. I also made lifelong friends there.
Today, I am thanking God for the sacrifices my parents made, for the community and faculty who poured into my life, and for an education that shaped my heart just as much as my mind.
