Lindsay Spindler's Story

My journey to Hardin-Simmons cannot be described as anything but orchestrated by God. I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, and had never heard of Texas, much less Abilene. Out of the blue, a coach in Abilene called me and asked if I wanted to be a long jumper for their track and field team. After talking with my family, I traveled across the world to compete—but also receive an education.  It was also in college that I accepted Christ.

I completed both an undergraduate and a master’s degree before moving to Houston to complete my doctorate. When I was interviewing for jobs, I came across a job opening at HSU. After I interviewed, I knew that this was where I wanted to come and teach. The smaller class sizes and Christian environment were what I was looking for. The opportunity to teach at HSU seemed to me like a divine appointment.

I love that I’m able to speak about my faith in my classroom. Sometimes I start class with a prayer, devotion, or just something that I have read that morning. I get to speak to students who don’t know the Lord or who are struggling or have questions about their faith. Although this may be small in the big scheme of things, I hope that in some way it encourages students to seek God.

I also get to speak Biblical truths into my students’ lives. I want to show them that the Bible is not just some old, historical document that has no relevance to our everyday choices, but rather that it is applicable to the choices we make each day. I remind my students how Jesus did miracles: he reached out and touched people, he engaged with people. This implies that, as believers, we also need to reach out to those who the world dismisses. In the field of Kinesiology, we do just that by working with individuals to recover and perform to the best of their ability.

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 139:5—“You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” I know that no matter what the future holds, God has me covered, He knows my days, and my days are His, so all is good!