CULLMAN, Ala. – Hanceville rising junior Kynzlee Farr has God to thank for so many things that she has achieved in her life so far. In an interview with the Tribune, Farr touched on her faith and how He gave her a purpose outside of sports.
“God means everything to me. As a student-athlete, there are many challenges and difficult moments, but having faith in God keeps me from worrying in those moments. I know that in the classroom and in athletic events that God is always with me, no matter the situation. In the bad times, I try to always remember that God has a plan for me,” Farr said. “God changed my life by giving me a purpose beyond the sports I play. I have played softball since I was three, so it has always been a big part of my life. God has helped me to have an identity that is defined by my performance in sports. I still compete and work at my sports, but I know that in wins and losses, I am not defined about that.”
Kynzlee leaned on a certain Bible verse during Hanceville’s run to the state tournament and also uses it during times when she worries about some big moments in her life. Another one of her goals is to help people of all ages have that same kind of relationship with Jesus Christ.
“One of my favorite Bible verses is Joshua 1:9. During the moments where I am nervous before a big game like our games in the state tournament, I always think of this Bible verse, because it reminds me that God is always with me and to not worry. I use this Bible verse in all big moments in my life that I feel worried about. It reminds me that God is in control and that His plan is what is best for me,” Farr said. “I feel that it is very important to help people of all ages find God, because God can help people find peace in the situation that they are in. No matter the situation, knowing that God is with you always help you to worry less about the situation. I feel like knowing God could help many people worry less about the situation knowing that God is in control. This year, one of our main goals of the softball team was for each player to find God and know that He is in control and has a plan for each one of us. It is important that even as a teenager that you find God. We did Bible Studies, had a scripture after each practice, and always prayed at the end of each event.”
Being that kind of role model for countless kids in and outside of sports and school is at the top of Kynzlee’s list, and she has a ton of Godly role models that she’s blessed to have in her life.
“It is one of the most important things to me. I feel like knowing and finding God has been the best thing to happen to me. I want those younger kids to know that believing in God and spreading that belief to others is something that needs to be done. I feel like I need to help those younger kids with their belief in God and show them how they can help others to believe in God by praying for the glory of God, or by showing them that they know that God has a plan for them in their life. I feel like many younger kids don’t understand God’s Word fully, so helping them to understand it in different ways is something that I feel helps me to be a role model to these younger kids,” Farr said. “My Godly role models are all of my coaches and my mom. All of my coaches have shown us how to give Him all the glory for the things that happen. When we made our state run in softball this past season, our coaching staff and my teammates gave all of the glory for us making it to the state tournament to Him. This past basketball season, our coaches taught us that through adversity to put it in God’s hands, and He will handle the rest. My mom has shown me that when you have struggles in life to give all of your problems to God, and He will help you deal with them.”
Her favorite school mission is helping younger kids become not only better people and athletes but also better children of God, and she gave some advice to those people who are either struggling or are new when it comes to having a relationship with Jesus Christ.
“My favorite school mission has been mentoring younger kids through athletics, and being the best athlete and Godly figure that I can. I want to show these younger kids how they can be competitive while also playing for the glory of God,” she said. “My advice would be to find someone who they look up to as a Godly figure to help them to either find God or to help them through their struggles. This person can help them to find God again or to find Him for the first time.”
Kynzlee played a huge part in what ended up being a very special season for the Hanceville Lady Bulldogs in softball, and their faith brought them that much closer together on and off the field.
“It was one of the greatest softball seasons I’ve ever had. This year, having a new coach come in, we didn’t know what to expect. Coach Kim Lewis has helped change the culture of Hanceville softball in a very positive way. She has brought each player’s love for the game back and brought the love for God into our team. During the end of the season, we faced adversity with one of our players, Bentley Childers, getting injured. We knew that God would be with us throughout this adversity. Also, our community stepped up big during this time, making sure we had all of the stuff we needed to travel for the regional and state tournaments. This was very special for all of us players, and we hope to make the same run next year but come home with a blue map.” she said.
Kynzlee added, “Faith helped bring all of us closer together on and off the field, because we are all God’s children, so we are all connected. On the field, we had to have faith that God was in control of what was happening, and that win or lose, it was all part of His plan. During our close game with Randolph County at Regionals, in the 7th inning when the bases were loaded, we had to have faith that the hard work we put in at practice would help us, and that God would handle the rest.”
She has not only grown a lot during her walk with God, but she has also learned a very important thing from it as well. She wants people to take away a lot from Hanceville’s incredible season.
“I have grown a lot during my walk with God. When I was younger, I didn’t fully understand what it means to believe in God and to give all of your glory to God. Now, I understand what it means to fully believe in God and how to give glory to God,” she said. “One thing that I have learned the most is how to trust that God’s plan is the right plan for you. Even if something you believe you should have gotten doesn’t work out, you have to know that it is all a part of the plan that God has created specifically for you,” she said. “I want people to remember that in order to have an historic season like this, it’s not just one person who put the team there. The whole team had to come out and play every game to get there. We had people who doubted us, but we knew that if we put in the work, God would handle the rest for us. I would also want people to remember the adversity that we faced, and even though you face adversity, as a team, you can get through it.”
