WEST POINT, Ala. — West Point track-and-field runner Thomas Ferster has had a lot of success on and off the track and he credits that success to his relationship with God. In this interview, Thomas talked about the impact that God has made on his life, starting by sharing some of his favorite Bible verses and how much they mean to him.
“He has played a huge role in my life for as long as I can remember. God has blessed me with an amazing family who is built around Him. Glorifying God has always been the focus in my life, whether it’s by running or just in my daily life,” Ferster said. “My favorite Bible verses are most definitely Proverbs 3:5-6. These mean a lot to me, because when I was younger, I was told to remember them. As I got older, I really started to realize the significance of these verses. When I’m having the best or worst day of my life, I still know that God’s plan is unfolding, and His plan is the best for me.”
One of Thomas’s main goals is to help other people, especially kids, find God, and being that Godly role model for a lot of people is important to him as well.
“It’s single handily the most important thing we need to do on Earth as Christians. Jesus told His disciples, before His ascending back to heaven, to go all around the world and let them know what all He has done for us. We really need to tell the younger people as well, because everybody needs to know how wonderful the love of Jesus is. As Christians, we need to act on this now, because not another day is promised, and the Lord can come back at any millisecond of the day,” he said. “It is huge. Kids usually act on what they see and hear. If I’m being a Godly role model, they will hopefully see Jesus through me, and maybe that can impact them in a Godly way.”
Thomas has two important Godly role models in his life that he looks up to, and he shared his favorite mission that he’s blessed to be a part of.
“Two Godly role models that I’m blessed to have in my life are my parents. I was raised knowing the Creator. God knows and loves me, and I think that is the best thing you can do for your kids,” he said. “My favorite mission that I’m blessed to be a part of is definitely our church’s VBS. It is so much fun getting to show the younger generation the love of Jesus and to help them learn more about our amazing God, while also having a great time in the process.”
On November 16th, 2024, Thomas announced that he was going to continue his athletic and academic career at Wallace State Community College, and God definitely played a role in his decision to commit to Wallace.
“Putting God in the center of my running has changed the way I look at the sport as a whole. Instead of running to try to please and impress others, all I’m doing is the best for His glory only. This has taken the stress away before races and brings me peace. I did a lot of praying these last few months that God would put me in a spot where the team and coaching staff put Him first. Wallace was exactly what I was praying for, and I thank Him and praise Him for answering my prayers.” he said.
Putting God first has definitely changed Thomas’s life, and he gave advice to those people who want that kind of relationship with God, but who might be new in that kind of experience. He has taken away so much from his Godly journey so far.
“It has done so much. Putting Him first in my life has brought so much joy and peace in my heart. The only reason I live is to glorify Him, and if that’s me putting Him first in everything I do, I will bring glory to Him to the best of my ability,” he said. “I would say dig into the Bible. As Christians, we need to read the Bible to understand and learn more about God and what he wants, loves, and hates. Christianity is a relationship with the Creator, God, not a religion, and how can you have a good relationship without understanding the other person? I have learned that things aren’t always going to go your way, but you have to stay persistent and keep your head up. Just don’t give up, no matter what happens.”
Copyright 2025 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
