If you're a fan of pretzels you'll no doubt have tried one from the popular chain Auntie Anne's. The "Pretzel Perfect" chain has an impressive 1,200 locations across the States, and even one in Jakarta, Indonesia. Behind the success of the pretzel shop is its founder Anne Beiler, a woman whose life is steeped in faith and suffering.
In a recent op-ed with The Christian Post the businesswoman shared how she'd grown up among the Amish and Mennonite community of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on a farm with her seven siblings.
She shared how her parents had provided her with a secure childhood with God at the heart of family life:
They taught us about God, and going to church and sitting around the table three times a day for meals was just our culture. And so, in that setting, I felt like they gave me a really good foundation to weather the storms of life."
The storms of life
While Beiler had a seemingly happy, event-free childhood, the death of her 19-month-old baby, Angela, in a farming accident led her to question her faith:
As Angie made her ascent into Heaven that day, I began my slow and gradual descent into a world of emotional pain and spiritual confusion. Because I'd been a good girl, the question became, 'Why?'"
From this point in her life, the suffering only worsened when she received counseling from a pastor who abused her over a six-year period. This led to a very confusing time in her relationship with God, one in which she felt enormous shame with the belief that she was unforgivable and unlovable.
However, this is when her faith came to the rescue. Leaning on James 5:16, in which believers are told to "confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed," Beiler finally addressed what was happening with her husband, Jonas.
She explains in her op-ed the impact of the Bible quote:
I know it's so compact. It seems so simple. But I can tell you, it's the most difficult thing anyone does if they've been caught in the dark world and they can hardly find their way out. But it's really the only way out."
From that point the couple sought counseling, which led to them rebuilding their marriage. And it was through this counseling that the pretzel empire was born.
Pretzels for a mission
In fact, Beiler's husband wanted to offer free counseling services to others who might be in need. Beiler started selling pretzels at a farmer’s market in Downington, Pennsylvania, to financially support the mission.
That was in 1988. The soft pretzels were a hit, and this led to the creation of over 850 locations throughout the States by 2005. While Beiler continued to lean on her faith, she also wanted to honor God through her work.
“Everything I did became an outpouring of my heart, and I began to find new ways to put my most deeply held values to work in my life and business," she explained in her book that The Christian Post recently excerpted.
She sold the business to a long-term employee and devoted her time to writing books, as well as her new passion of helping other women experience the same freedom she does by sharing her story.
If you'd like to learn more about Beiler and her inspirational outlook on faith and family, take a look at the short documentary about her life below:
