This story appears in FCA Magazine’s January/February 2016 issue. Subscribe today!
Hometown: Jericho, Vermont
Class: Senior
Position: Goalkeeper
Notes:
• Bill Cahill Memorial Coaches Award (2014-15)
• Liberty League All-Academic (2013)
“He brought me out to a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.” - Psalm 18:19
Starting her hockey journey as a makeshift goalie for her older brother, Sara Till kept the position and now shines for her team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Jericho, Vermont, native aims to be a source of support to all she meets, and she remembers with a grateful heart the people God has placed in her life to speak into her and draw her back to Him.
FCA: Could you share some of your faith journey?
ST: One day in high school, it felt like someone lit a fire in me. I started to see how God was working and I began to open my heart and mind to His message. I felt so at peace. Like much of my life, I just kind of fell into it.
RPI was tough at first, because it’s a school that demands a lot of you as a student. And as a Division I athlete, there’s a lot of pressure. I feel like I lost myself in many ways. I fell away from God a little bit when I first came here; I got very involved and focused on the wrong things. A senior captain on the team invited me to FCA. It was like a wake-up call, to have this opportunity to change the way I’d been living. I got back into FCA and started turning my life around.
FCA: How has FCA helped in getting your life on track?
ST: I’d been struggling with hockey. I wasn’t playing a lot and was terribly depressed and frustrated. I wasn’t doing great in school. Sophomore year, I came in feeling like this was my year. I’d been working hard all summer and staying away from bad decisions. But the first weekend back, I fell back into my old habits and found myself avoiding FCA. One of our leaders sent me a text saying FCA was always open to me. I went, and it might have been the best decision I’ve made. I remember walking into the room and feeling like something that hadn’t been there fell back into place. It was awesome. I’ve made some incredible friends there.
FCA: What are you focusing on this year?
ST: I would like to lead this program and leave an imprint that says, “This is what it means to be an RPI women’s hockey player.” Putting God into your game and applying His teachings allows you to level out. You enjoy the glories and feel the heartbreak, but you also stay on an even plane because you know it’s going to be OK.
As an individual, my goal is to grow and to be a person who people feel comfortable around. I always think of a lantern, bringing light to campus, someone who will be a source of comfort and peace for the people around me.
FCA: What do you hope others see in you?
ST: I want to be the person you can see Jesus’ handprints all over. I want to know that I put more good in this world than bad. There are definitely parts of my life where there is no way I would have made it out without God sending certain people or placing certain circumstances around me. The fact that I am here right now, sitting where I’m sitting, is kind of incredible. It’s a huge testimony to the power Jesus has on my life.
FCA: How do you see your story carrying over to others?
ST: It doesn’t matter where you came from. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what has happened. It doesn’t matter what your heart and mind and soul are like. Embracing God and Jesus and allowing that light to come to your life is a game changer. You have to love yourself to take that step and know that God loves you enough to forgive you for anything.
FCA Staff Quote:
“Sara understands that coming to God and growing in faith is not just a one-time moment but part of a life journey. FCA at RPI represents a safe community for Sara to reflect and look at her life in absolute honesty and examine her heart to see if she is moving closer to a God-centered life.”
-Scott Rock
Rensselaer County (NY) FCA Area Representative
-FCA-
–This article appears in the January/February 2016 issue of FCA Magazine. To view the issue digitally, click here: January/February 2016 FCA Mag Digital
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Photos courtesy of Larry Wash