Testimony Tuesday: Seeing God in the details

By Megan Deets

Hannah Fultz, a sophomore Communications major at Cedarville University, was constantly exposed to the reality of God and the gospel as she grew up in Ohio alongside her six siblings. 

“I don’t remember a time when I didn’t believe God was real,” Hannah said.

Fultz was homeschooled her whole life, and her parents taught her to memorize Bible verses and hymns. They also regularly led devotions for their whole family.

Fultz’s oldest sister was also a strong spiritual influence in her life. When they were younger, Fultz and her twin sister would dry the dishes their older sister Esther washed. The twins didn’t enjoy this chore, but Esther taught them about the Bible while they did the dishes. This allowed Scripture to take root in Fultz’s heart. 

Fultz doesn’t recall a specific moment of salvation, but she does remember moments when she was first aware that she was saved. 

One of those moments was a conversation with her dad when she was eight years old. He explained what the gospel was and made sure that Fultz understood what it meant to be saved by Christ.

When she was 11 years old, Fultz started to doubt her salvation. She asked her mom questions about if she was really saved. Her mom told her that ultimately she could only answer that question herself. She prayed, surrendering her life to Jesus and asking for his forgiveness.

Fultz began to notice changes in her life. She used to lie and not feel guilty about it. She used to be unkind to her siblings without regret. But as her faith in the Lord grew, her life began to bear fruit. Fultz no longer desired to lie, and she was able to treat her siblings with greater love. 

When Fultz was 13, she asked her dad how she could grow in her relationship with God. 

“Growing closer to God is a lot like growing closer to a friend,” Fultz’s dad said. “The more time you spend with them, the closer you’ll become.”

Following her dad’s advice, Fultz started reading her Bible more often. The first book of the Bible that sparked her attention was Philippians because she saw how it could apply to her own life. As Fultz read through it, she experienced the joys of meditating on God’s Word for the first time.

But in Fultz’s early years of high school, legalism crept into her life.

“I basically made up a lot of my own strict rules and believed that I had to follow them for God to be pleased with me,” Fultz said.

Gradually, Fultz learned to see the depth of God’s grace and the rest that he promises through her continued study of God’s Word.

“He does have rules, but within the boundaries of those good rules there is so much room for grace and freedom,” Fultz said. 

For Fultz, attending Cedarville was an easy choice. She loved the community and the focus on the Lord that she observed from the students, and she had already built a life with her family and friends in the area.

Going to college may not have been a dramatic change in Fultz’s life, but she often sees God working in what seem like the small moments.

“I think God has tended to teach me things through little things, rather than big events,” she said.

When Fultz started attending Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville, she quickly gained a new perspective on what it looked like to be a part of the church. She became involved with church Bible studies as well as discipleship groups at Cedarville. 

She viewed discipleship in new ways as she interacted with people of all ages, perspectives and backgrounds. She loved hearing what her friends were learning about God, and it helped her to find areas to rely on God in her own life in different ways.

Fultz has learned that it’s important to help people in different seasons of life than you grow in their faith, despite their level of spiritual maturity. But even when she is in the same life stage as someone, she found she can still support them in their walk with the Lord.

“You don’t have to be older and wiser than someone to encourage them in their faith,” Fultz said. 

Fultz is currently mentoring a group of middle school girls from Grace Baptist by leading them through a Bible study. Getting to disciple these girls has reminded her of how influential the middle school years are for girls as they begin to figure out who God made them to be. 

Fultz dreams of publishing a series of five books for middle school girls and their moms. She desires for girls to be able to come to their moms with their struggles. The studies would provide a place for girls to connect with their mentors and absorb truth on important issues. Some of the topics would include how to honor God with emotions and build godly friendships.

No matter what God has for her life, Fultz desires to use her Communications degree in a ministry setting. 

“Ministry has always kind of stuck out to me,” Fultz said.

Right now, Fultz doesn’t know what ministry will look like in her life. She wants to create content such as books or podcasts that encourage either teen girls or women to grow in their faith in Christ.

As she thinks about her future, Fultz continues to deepen her reliance on the Lord as she goes through college. Throughout her life, she has struggled with resting in God’s sovereignty. But God is faithful, and he reveals his character to her in beautiful ways even in the mundane details of life. 

Fultz said, “He’s helped me to realize that I don’t have to fear because I have a God who is good and a God who is wise and can control everything and who loves me deeply.” 

Megan Deets is a freshman Professional Writing and Information Design student. Some of the things that she loves are new notebooks, fresh fruit and musicals.