Faith Journey – Collins

Collins shares her Faith Journey at ZCS at the Pastor Appreciation Breakfast

By: Collins Hoort, 8th Grader

“I was asked today to talk about my faith journey at ZCS and how my teachers have influenced it. And it was really difficult for me to come up with an answer to that question. 

I have never felt that confident about my faith. I don’t love to talk about it, it’s an uncomfortable subject for me. And as a perfectionist who wants to be in control all of the time, it’s tough for me to trust God and that He has a plan for me. 

I don’t have a dramatic life-changing moment where a teacher told me something that I will never forget about God or my faith. But I do have small and way less dramatic experiences that I would like to share with you.

A few weeks ago, I was at a bible study, and one of my leaders talked about her faith journey. Unlike me, she did not grow up Christian. It was crazy to me that she had to choose to be a Christian. I had never put much thought into that because my parents have been Christians their whole lives, and I grew up going to church. 

What stuck out to me though, was that I had never felt like I had been forced into this religion. 

Zeeland Christian does an amazing job helping us students find God, our purpose, and who we are.

Zeeland Christian does an amazing job helping us students find God, our purpose, and who we are. I hadn’t noticed that until recently, and I think that is because the teachers do it very discreetly. They don’t tell us what to do, but rather they help us make those decisions for ourselves. They help us find the path God made for us. And they are always there to help us up when we trip or fall flat on our faces. 

A week ago my teacher told the class that as she got older, she had fewer doubts about if God was real or not. And that she now completely believes He is real. She then told us that it's okay for us to have doubts and that it is completely normal. 

The teachers at Zeeland Christian don’t do anything halfway. They pour their whole heart into what they do for us.

That was probably one of the most honest things a teacher has ever told me. And I am eternally grateful that she did. The teachers at Zeeland Christian don’t do anything halfway. They pour their whole heart into what they do for us. They invest everything they have."