COVER STORY

from Jesus Calling Magazine - Spring 2020 - Issue#3

by Thomas Nelson

I Will Survive”—Gloria Gaynor’s Tests Turn into Her Testimony

LAUREN ALAINA LIVES HER DREAMS and Finds a Little Bit of Heaven

by Laura Neutzling

Lauren Alaina knows what it’s like to have a dream. Growing up in Rossville, Georgia, she can’t remember a time she didn’t have a dream—specifi cally, to be a singer. “I’ve been telling people I was gonna be a singer since I was three years old,” Lauren recalls. “And I remember people saying, ‘Oh yeah? No one leaves Rossville.’ And I was like, ‘Watch me—I’m leaving!’” While their daughter never wavered from her vision, Lauren’s parents supported their determined little girl’s singing dreams. Lauren played gigs around Rossville with her dad, who would play guitar. She sang at church and in multiple singing competitions. Her parents worked long hours to make ends meet for the family, but they still managed to nurture Lauren’s desire to become a singer, often driving two and a half hours to Nashville on the weekends to scope out opportunities in Music City. “My parents knew that’s what I wanted to do, even though they couldn’t aff ord it. They put me on stage at a very, very young age because they recognized something in me.” Someone else would go on to recognize something special in Lauren. At 15 years old, when Lauren decided to audition for the hit television show American Idol, judge Steven Tyler would declare during her audition, “We found the one.” Once again, with her parents by her side, Lauren sang her way through

every round of the show on Season 10, performing with both Tyler and one of her biggest infl uences, Carrie Underwood, and making it to the fi nals as a runner up.

“I was kind of in my awkward phase. I just happened to go through mine on national television.

“I went from being a small-town girl to a girl in the public eye,” Lauren refl ects. “I think there were, like, 40 million votes the night of the fi nale, and I was kind of in my awkward phase. I just happened to go through mine on national television.” Experiencing the already tumultuous changes that come during teenage years, Lauren found herself in another contest she hadn’t asked to be in: the arena of public opinion. “I would say the hardest part of my journey was 15 to 19. Trying to fi gure out fame but also deal with the criticism, it was really tough for me for a while.” Lauren struggled with an eating disorder in middle school. And now, under so much scrutiny in the spotlight with no part of her appearance going

unnoticed—or unsaid—her old insecurities were ignited by online comments about her weight. “There were blogs that called me ‘Miss Piggy’ and put pig noses on my face. I was 15 and already struggling with an eating disorder. I really struggled for a few years until it caused some serious health problems for me.” “ The fi rst time someone gave me Jesus Calling, I was on American Idol.

Eventually, Lauren went to a doctor and also sought professional help at the behest of her mother. Through therapy, her faith, and the strong support system of her friends and family, Lauren was able to break the hold the disorder had on her.

“I don’t know how I could have done it without the Lord.

“The fi rst time someone gave me Jesus Calling, I was on American Idol. I remember really needing it at the time. One constant thing I always had was Jesus. There have been a lot of times where I was just overwhelmed, and every time I would go to Him, He was always there for me. I don’t know how I could have done it without the Lord.” Lauren was empowered with tools that helped her to see her worth and to resist the spiral of internalizing others’ opinions. She continued the trajectory toward her dreams—and ultimately, her calling in life—

including releasing her fi rst album Wildfl ower, which debuted at number fi ve on the US Billboard 200 chart. “I had to work really hard to get in a place where I felt good about myself,” Lauren remembers. “There are always going to be people who have something to say that is not nice. But if I feel good about myself and I have people around me who lift me up, that takes the power away from them.” During the creation of her fi rst record, Lauren found that writing songs about the pain she experienced was not only like “therapy” to her, but

she could see that she was actually reaching people through her words. “The most rewarding thing is when a young girl comes to me and says, ‘I don't have to be scared to admit that I have an eating disorder. Knowing that you’ve pushed through that is so, so helpful to me.’ And if I can do that, that’s all I want to do.” Now at age 25, Lauren has two bestselling albums under her belt, headlined her own tour, nabbed a 4th place win on season 28 of Dancing with the Stars, and launched a new EP in March. She refl ects on what kept her grounded through the wins and the losses—especially a loss that was very recent. “My stepdad passed away on October 21st, 2018. And honestly, Sam’s death changed my life forever—it changed my faith forever. He was the most positive, upbeat, uplifting person you’ll ever meet.” Diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma fi ve years earlier, the man who had come to mean so much to Lauren started to slip away.

“He was so faithful the whole time. He never felt sorry for himself. The day that he died, he was at home in hospice and in a lot of pain, but then he opened up his eyes and it was like every ounce of pain had left his body. And he said, ‘I found it.’ “‘Found what?’ we said. “‘Heaven.’ “My stepdad was literally describing heaven. He said he saw his mom, and he saw Jesus. And then Sam said, ‘I love you all, but I have to go now.’ He closed his eyes, and a few hours later, he was gone.” Lauren’s faith crystalized in that moment, and she found herself praying earnestly to God, apologizing for her doubts, thanking Him for the moment she had with Sam, and releasing the

anger she had felt about her stepdad being taken away from her.

On the one-year

anniversary of Sam’s death,

Lauren, and dance partner Gleb Savchenko, honor her stepdad, Sam

Lauren honored her stepdad with a moving song she wrote in tribute to him called “The Other Side.” She performed a contemporary dance to the song with her dance partner, Gleb Savchenko, during her stint on Dancing With the Stars. “There are these moments when tragedy happens or when bad things happen to good people, and you can't explain it. But there is a God out there, and He is in control of all of this. And I think the most important thing we can do is lift people up and love others, and know that someday we’re all gonna be reunited in the kingdom of heaven.”