CULLMAN, Ala. – Fairview’s Paisley Hopper will be a senior starting in August, and credits God as one of the main reasons she’s the person that she is today. When she was going through some tough times in her life, she leaned on God, and her life has been completely changed because of it.
“God means everything to me. He is the light at the end of the tunnel and has brought me out of my darkest times throughout the years. It has alway been a comfort for me, that even if I feel alone in whatever situation I am in, He is always beside me and helping me through. Turning to Him is the thing that has helped me through school and sports too. I feel most comforted before games with my team’s prayer. He has changed my life for the better. Before finding Him in my life, I tried relying on myself and earthly things to use during my worst time and overall, it made my life worse. Turning to Him made me realize the detrimental harm of these things. I have become a better person overall since using God as my beacon of light in the darkness.” Hopper said.
Paisley talks about how her favorite Bible verses and songs has made such a huge impact on her life, and being there for people and helping them find God is one of her top goals.
“My two favorite Bible verses are Micah 7:8 and Hebrews 13:16, and my favorite songs are ‘Lay It All Down’ by Will Reagan and The United Pursuit and ‘Goodness of God’ by CeCe Winans. They have definitely got me through times where I have had doubt in my life and doubt in God’s plan. Micah 7:8 reminds me that God remains my saving grace and the light in all the darkness that surrounds us in our daily lives. This is accompanied by the verse Hebrews 13:16, which reminds me to always be kind and gentle to those around me. Keeping a gentle spirit reminds me of how wonderfully God has made each individual person and how He has a plan for every one of us. The two songs I chose have changed my life by helping me come to the point to finally lay my life down to God, and lean on Him with all my troubles. It also helps me realize and remember just how much He does for us in our daily lives and how we should always sing the praise.” Hopper said.
Paisley added, “It is always important to me, because whether the person is still at a young age or older, we all are at different times and stages of our walk with God. So it is very crucial to me to help, because there have been parts of my walk with Christ that I wish I would have had someone to help me and guide me. Because of this, helping anybody, young or old, we are all a community in Christ, and community is the most vital thing to have to learn and grow with Christ and to hold ourselves accountable.”
Paisley wants to be that kind of role model for younger kids in and outside of sports and school, and she has a lot of Godly role models that she’s blessed to have in her life and that she can lean to whenever she goes through some tough times in her life.
“It’s important to be that kind of role model for them, because you never know what kind of support they are getting with their walk in Christianity. Not all children’s families go to church, discuss God, or read their Bible, not setting an example to help them. Not having that role model in their lives can affect how they view God and how they handle their beliefs and living in Christ. This is why it’s so very important to be that role model to the younger generation, so they have someone to look up to, and that kind of support that will overall aide them, because you never know if you are their only support in that sense,” Hopper said. “People in the public eye that are my role models are Bryce Cranford, for all his messages he spreads and the way he is never afraid to spread the Gospel, and Sadie Robertson. While her family became originally famous for their show, she never lost her way with God, and used her fame to help young women with their walks with God.”
Paisley added, “People in my personal life that are my role models are the elders in my church. They are always wise and can give advice that comes straight from the Bible, no matter the situation and always seem to know what to say. My family that comes to church with me; they always hold me accountable for everything through my life in Christ and motivate me to strive to be more like them in my journey with God. I would have to say some of my best friends and their families. Without them, I would have never gone to church in the first place, and I wouldn’t be where I am today in life or my life with God without them.”
She has taken part in a very special mission out-of-state several times, and so many lives have been impacted during those missions so far, including hers.
“My favorite church mission that I’ve taken part in has been traveling to North Carolina for Snowbird Church Camp, and we’ve done so many missions there so far, such as helping the local community with various things, and spreading God’s Word, along with aiding them. It changed my life being around that much when it came to viewing my relationship with God, but just being surrounded by that many people that are on fire for the Lord definitely helped me with my doubts and my way of going about the way I pray and do other things. I felt that many people felt that way about it, and it aided those who had doubt and were hesitant.” she said.
She gave some advice to those people who might be either struggling or are new when it comes to having a relationship with God, and faith has brought everyone on her respective sports teams that much closer together on and off the court/field.
“Everything happens for a reason, whether we know it at that moment or not. All of the hard times and good times we go through are all to better us as people. But overall, never be afraid to reach out to people. The worst thing to do is if you are new or are struggling is to isolate yourself and not grow at all. The best way we learn is from others, and God wants us to have community in our brothers and sisters in Christ, so we can hold others accountable, and lift each other up,” she said. “Being around so many great people that I have met throughout the years has been wonderful. It has brought me close to so many people who also have love for the Lord. I love how we incorporate it into every game, every practice, and everything we do in and out of the sport. Before every game or race, we all join together and pray over all of the participants and each other. There is no way to describe how much of a blessing that is.”
Praying, even if it’s not for long, can deeply impact your life in a positive way, and Paislee talks about why it’s important to pray.
“Praying is our way of talking and communicating with to God. For example, a healthy relationship requires communication and talking quite frequently to maintain it, and keep in close touch, so why would our relationship with God be any different? I find that when I am really stressed out, praying helps me calm myself down, and unload my stress. It is good, despite God knowing all of our thoughts and emotions. Getting it off my chest to Him and praying about how grateful I am for Him and everything in my life really helps me out.” she said.
She has taken away so many important things during her walk with God so far.
“God doesn’t expect us to be perfect all the time or our walk to be perfect. Life is messy, roadblocks get in the way, and sometimes, it’s one step forward and three steps back. Regardless, God is always waiting with open arms and loves us the way we are, imperfections and all.”
