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ALTON - In the most recent episode of “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust, guest Lauren Friese spoke about her passion for ministry and her path to Christ.
Friese explained that she grew up in the church and always felt a calling to share the word of Jesus. But she was going through a difficult time when she discovered how much she enjoyed ministering. Now, as she reflected on these past hardships and shared her relationship with God, she noted that these challenges actually drew her closer to Him.
“God has your life planned out for you, but we live in a world where we’re going to be hit with those roadblocks,” she said. “How we choose to see Jesus through those roadblocks, that’s what’s going to bring us through it.”
Friese explained that she was going through a period of depression when she delivered her first sermon. It had reached the point where she felt like she couldn’t go on, but as she stood up in church and read Jeremiah 29:11 — “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future’” — she felt hopeful.
Though Friese was surprised by how much she enjoys ministering, it didn’t come as a shock to anyone who knows her. As a kid, Friese would draw Bible lessons and present them to one of the younger kids at her church. When her family stopped going to church consistently, Friese got her driver’s license and drove herself every Sunday.
As life went on, it became more difficult to attend church every week. Friese had been a stay-at-home mother for a few years before she took on a role as an administrative assistant at a new church. One day, Friese sat in on the sermon and realized how much she missed going to church. It wasn’t long before she was working as a children’s minister.
“I think that I was always predestined to be in ministry,” Friese said. “It just was like God put all of the pieces in place at once, and I started working in ministry and I found that that was my calling. I was really good at ministering to people, and it’s something that brings me so much joy.”
Friese believes that God has a plan for her, and she does everything she can to “stay the course.” That’s not to say it’s easy; she pointed out there are a lot of obstacles and ways to stray from God’s path. But she encourages people to maintain their relationship with God and let this relationship serve as a guiding light.
“That’s the earthly way that we live. There are so many things that are going to come in between us and our relationship with God, and it’s so easy to fall off of that path,” she explained. “You’ve got to set your own bar where you’re like, ‘I’m going to fix my eyes on Jesus and I’m going to work really hard to not do the things that I know keep me from getting closer to God.’”
Throughout her life, Friese has learned the value of setting down her burdens at Jesus’s feet. She teaches her children’s ministry that they can ask God for help and give Him the burdens that weigh on them.
“A lot of what I do is redirecting them and teaching them that those burdens that they carry are laid at the foot of the cross,” she said. “I’m trying to remind them, when we lay it down, that’s no longer our burden to carry anymore. That’s Jesus’s burden. That’s why He died on the cross for us.”
This lesson has stuck with Friese throughout different hardships, and she hopes the kids she teaches will remember it, too. It’s through her relationship with God that she has made it through difficult times in her life, and she is proud to share that relationship with people today.
You can watch or listen to “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust at 2 p.m. on Thursdays on RiverBender.com/Beautiful.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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