I’d Rather be Socially Awkward

Shelley Pearson • June 11, 2021

It’s easy to get discouraged by the state of our world and the statistics around the decrease in church attendance by our youth, but God is moving all over the state of Minnesota. He is drawing coaches and athletes to Himself and using them to reach those around them with the Gospel. Huddles have continued through the pandemic and serve as a great encouragement to the athletes who attend, coaches are meeting together to study God’s Word, and dozens of camps are planned for this summer.

Then there are the seemingly small moments, like the one that happened recently as the Caledonia wrestling team rode the bus home from a tournament.

Gunnar is a junior in Caledonia and wrestles on the high school team. He has grown up in a Christian home and desires to be a light for Christ wherever he goes. He said, “I’m pretty open about my faith on my team. I’m known as the ‘Christian Kid’ so when people have questions, they ask me.” He has never tried to hide his faith and is instead intentional about starting conversations that could give him the opportunity to share the Gospel. Jimmy Westland, FCA Area Rep, has witnessed this firsthand: “Gunnar realizes we are all sinners and fall short, so he strives to encourage others and looks for opportunities to share the Good News of the free gift of salvation that Jesus gives us all to accept or reject!”

I’d Rather be Socially Awkward

Gunnar used to worry more about the potential of a conversation turning awkward, but after he watched a video in youth group, he doesn’t care whether the conversations seem weird or not. Gunnar said, “The speaker in the video talked about a semi rolling down the highway careening toward someone and we were asked what we would do to keep them from being hit by the semi. We wouldn’t care about how we looked.” Applying the illustration to spiritual matters, he said, “This is someone’s eternal life on the line, not just my personal feelings. I’d rather be socially awkward.”

Gunnar lives out 1 Peter 3:15a, which says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

“I like it when we have meets. I try to sit by a JV kid and ask them about themselves and where they go to church and what they do – just normal conversations. I pray that God would speak through me,” Gunnar said. Because Gunnar is always looking for opportunities to share with his teammates, he was ready on a recent trip back from a meet.

New Life and a Place to Grow

“We were driving home from a tri [three teams wrestling together], and I think we lost both duals. The bus was really quiet, especially because we lost. I was sitting with Gavin. I knew him last year and talked to him about Jesus then. I asked him, ‘If you were to die, would you go to Heaven?’ He didn’t know, so I shared with him.” That night on the bus, Gavin gave his life to Christ. And now, Gunnar says, “I can definitely see the change in what Gavin does and what he says.”

The FCA huddle in Caledonia is in its first year, and Gavin now has a place where he can learn and grow in his walk with Christ with other Christ-followers. He also attends youth group with Gunnar, and Gunnar is walking this new path with him. However, Gunnar is moving to a new town this summer, and Gavin will still have a place in the FCA huddle, even in Gunnar’s absence. Huddles provide a place for athletes to hear the Gospel, grow in their relationships with Christ, and then go out and make disciples who make disciples.

Preparation for a New Path

As for Gunnar, his family, his church, and his time in FCA have prepared him to face whatever challenges he meets, including a move to a new community. Moving in high school is challenging, but God has been daily drawing Gunnar to Himself. Lately, Gunnar has been focused on Isaiah 43:1-5.

1 But now, this is what the Lord says—

he who created you, Jacob,

he who formed you, Israel:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

3 For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I give Egypt for your ransom,

Cush and Seba in your stead.

4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,

and because I love you,

I will give people in exchange for you,

nations in exchange for your life.

5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

I will bring your children from the east

and gather you from the west.

He said, “Right now, I’ve been stressing out about friends and moving and what will happen to me as a student and wrestler. It gives me comfort that I won’t be burned when I walk through the fire. He is walking through all that hard stuff with me.” God will get him through this just as He has walked with Gunnar many times before. It is because of the hope he has in Christ that he wants others to know the same. As he leaves the Caledonia FCA and Gavin behind, God will continue the work He started through Gunnar there, and He will continue His work in and through Gunnar in his new town.

Pray that God would raise up a generation of young people who, like Gunnar, just want others to know Jesus. Pray for the impact of FCA to spread further throughout our state so that more and more coaches and athletes will be equipped to share the Gospel with those on their teams, in their homes, and throughout their communities. Finally, pray that Gavin would grow deeply in His walk with the Lord and that Gunnar would continue to sense God’s nearness as he prepares to move into a new chapter of his life.

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