Long before I moved to Tuscaloosa, I knew that I would be attending the BCM at UA. What I did not realize is just how major of a role God had intended the BCM to have in my college experience. From the very first Discovery the night before classes began, I could sense that God was using the BCM to relieve my anxiety and push me toward something greater. Within the first week of school, it became very apparent that the BCM was where I wanted to go to build community and relationships.
My name is Reid Lunsford. I am an out-of-state student from Kentucky, and I have always been a workaholic when it comes to school. I have placed expectations and pressure on myself that can often feel inescapable, and on days where this feeling has grown so intense that it is almost palpable, I’ve found that the BCM is the best escape for me. Often, I have told myself that I am just too busy to go to the BCM, that it would be irresponsible for me to take a break from studying or not finish that homework assignment. However, it is on these days that forcing myself to step away, to physically remove myself from my study environment, is the most important. Being at the BCM provides me with the opportunity to recenter myself on what matters most and surround myself with like-minded peers and also those who are seeking to learn more about God. I know that I am expected to do my best academically to the glory of God, but that does not mean God desires me to find my identity in my grades. Being at the BCM has helped me find that balance.
The BCM has also challenged me in ways I did not expect and taught me to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. The need for evangelism has become ever more apparent to me. If you had asked me last summer if I expected to use my spring break for a mission trip to New York City, I would have told you no. Nevertheless, that is what I felt God call me to do, and He used that experience to teach me a lot. That trip opened my eyes to the need and hurting that surround us as well as how a small act of kindness can make someone so much more receptive to the name of Jesus. But you don’t need to go to New York to see hurting people; it can be truly shocking how many students at UA in the Bible Belt have never heard the gospel. If you ever feel discouraged, try to remember that God has you where you are for a purpose. He has big plans for you at UA, and He has called you to be set apart and an example to your classmates. All you have to do is remain open to the opportunities He will lay before you.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Reid Lunsford | Sophomore | Elizabethtown, KY