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Updates from Upperclassmen by Hatty Adams

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is a national organization, and Albert Lea has a local chapter. Our group meets every Wednesday morning, and we discuss the Word of God and how to be the light within our school and sports. Each week, a different sport gives a devotional or testimonial about how the Gospel applies to our lives. The biggest event that we put on is Fields of Faith, which is typically after a football game in the fall. At Fields of Faith, students gather under Josiah’s example to share testimonials, devotionals and to spread the good of the Lord by being bold in our faith, even when it’s not the easiest or coolest thing to do. Here, we sing songs and emphasize that God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called, and that God has a plan to use every person for his good.This is intended to be a community event, and all community members are invited to attend, so we hope to see more of our community come out to next year’s event!

At Fields of Faith this year, I was privileged to share my testimony; an excerpt is below:

When I was a little kid in elementary school, I did not really grow up in a household that promoted going to church or being involved in church. The one connection I did have to church was my grandma. She worked at a local church here in town where I would later receive my first communion and get confirmed at. I found myself spending lots of time at this church either volunteering or spending time with my grandma. I began to find the goodness of the Lord and wanted to spend all my time in church. I convinced my mom to come to church with me, and we made it a routine to go each Sunday morning. Life became happier and easier in the presence of the Lord. But as I grew older, the path that I thought I was taking was not the path God had planned for me. There were many bumps along the way that primarily started in middle school. I developed this mentality of having to achieve perfection. If perfection was not achieved, in my eyes, I had failed. I wouldn’t accept anything from myself less than sheer excellence. Because I thought this way, I lost love for myself and therefore the love of the Lord. The minute I started losing love for myself and the Lord, things became so much harder. I had no guidance and no identity through the Lord. I felt lost in life. But these past couple months have brought me closer to God than I have ever been before.

I decided to try to stop doing things for myself and do things for the Lord. This was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. With this decision I made better friendships where they really showed me the love of the Lord and how good life can be. They made me realize that worrying about things that haven’t happened yet is silly. Rather than stressing about the future, we should live in the moment and admire all the wonderful things God has created for us. None of us need to achieve perfection because we are already made perfect in God’s image. So the next time you’re crying over an A- like I’ve done many times in the past, just remember that you are human and just because you’re not perfect on earth, doesn’t mean you’re not perfect in God’s eyes. As long as we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are all forgiven and we are all worthy of the Lord and his teachings.

I am grateful for FCA and how it has changed my life; I pray for our community that everyone can find God and be moved by his presence in the same way I have been. God loves us all despite our sins. I pray that his perfect love continues to drive all fear out of our lives and touch the hearts of people who have not discovered him yet.

Hatty Adams is a senior at Albert Lea High School.