Ruth Brueckner
Ruth Brueckner, a grad student at Crown College in 2026, who competed in track and field and cross country, closed the season as part of the 2026 UMAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championship team from Crown.
Q&A with Ruth Brueckner
Where are you with your faith right now? When you’re in hard spots in your life, God is so present and near, and it can be easier to see Him. You trust in his sovereignty and in the fact that He’s there. I lost a close friend this winter, and it’s been really rough. I’ve had the opportunity to see God working in so many of my friends—those who had no relationship with Him, little motivation to have one, or little desire to follow Him or dedicate their lives to Him. God has been so good through all of this, showing so clearly how one person who follows the Lord, even when they lose their lives, can still impact others for Christ. It shows their character and their impact.
The boldness that comes from hearing from other Christians encourages boldness in others—even if it’s uncomfortable. That’s what matters, and it’s why we’re here—to share about Christ.
What has God been speaking to you? God has been putting it on my heart to be bolder for him, even if everything feels torn apart. It seems like everywhere I look, there are people sharing their faith, talking about God, and asking questions. For a lot of high school, I felt very alone. Some of that was on me. I grew up having given my life to Christ when I was six years old. I grew up in a Christian family, had the routine of reading the Bible and talking with the Lord. We did that together, and I was encouraged to do that myself. Getting into high school, I fell away from that because I felt like the only one. It wasn’t necessarily true, but I didn’t have the boldness to share my faith with others. I think that limited my ability to find others who shared my faith or who were open to it. God is always there, always moving, and always opening our eyes.
I was still a Christian, but I decided to do things my own way. I knew the way I was living was contrary to the Bible and to my faith in God. Even though I had friends my age who were believers at my church and on my track team, I didn’t lean into it. I think that played a big role in my feeling disconnected from God.
I think I felt like I’d figure it out later and knew I wanted to follow Him. I had been a Christian my whole life, but I felt I needed my own space.
How did you end up at a Christian college like Crown? I initially didn’t want to go to a Christian college. I did pray about it because I knew it was a big decision. I wanted to be where He wanted me to be. I can’t tell you how much I didn’t want to go to Crown, but after praying, almost immediately, I knew I was supposed to go. I had never been so sure of anything in my life. I’m thankful I went. Even though I wasn’t walking with Him as I am now, He still loved me. He was pursuing me.
How did being at Crown help you grow in your faith? Being in the Christian school environment, I was amazed at how openly my friends and roommates talked about their faith. I met so many strong believers and people who were very intentional with their time with God. There were people who were reading their Bibles, taking time to pray, and doing all of it without prompting. There were people attending Crown to grow in their faith who hadn’t been raised in a Christian environment.
When I saw that dedication, it shook me. I knew I hadn’t been living for God, and I knew I wanted to change that. I got so interested in my faith that I became too much of a perfectionist. I started to feel like I couldn’t pray or read my Bible enough. I was psyching myself out. I wanted to follow God, but I was continually messing up and struggling. It started to become a comparison thing and led to a mental health battle for six months.
How did you get past your struggles and find peace? God brought me out of that season and showed me how much He loves me. He showed me I don’t have to worry about being the perfect Christian. He’s not looking at me or what I’m doing. He sees my heart; He knows I want to live for him and share the Gospel. That opened my eyes to how much I need Jesus every day and how much I want that relationship.
There’s a freedom in knowing that we need to be real, that we can go through things, that we are human. It’s about being honest and open and letting people know that we struggle, too. Everybody goes through things. It’s a blessing to have God in your life, but you’re still going to have hard times. It’s authenticity.
I think it’s so important to share your testimony, even if things aren’t going well. He’s never done working in us.
How do you draw a parallel between your walk with God and your commitment to athletics? You practice every day for a sport. Not everyone is perfect or has the best day. Sometimes it’s hard. It’s the same way with faith—some days you feel great, and some days you put the effort just to show up and put the effort in—to read, talk to Him, and hear from Him—just like going to practice, to the gym, you do your run, it feels great. You do it when it feels great and when it doesn’t. It’s not about performance; it’s about having that relationship with God.
What does the love of God mean to you on a daily basis? That was a big part of what I’ve been learning and am still learning. It’s easy, when you’re hearing what God did by sending Jesus to save us from our sins, so we could have life—that’s the biggest picture of what God did. It can be hard, day to day, to have that resonate. I understand that and that it’s His love for me, and I’m so grateful. What God’s love means to me—it’s so many things—but mainly that He saved me. I can talk to him about anything, tell Him anything—my deepest, darkest secrets, my doubts. When I think about what I can do for God, I have to remember it’s about Him. When I share with Him how I’m feeling, I never feel judged by God. He already knows. When I share those things with Him, even things I wouldn’t talk to others about, I feel nothing but His love.
What have you come to understand about the nature of God? I’ve never felt that I’ve confessed and asked for forgiveness, only to have Him turn around and leave. He never needs space. Sometimes people do, but God never does. He loves on you constantly, no matter what. His love means everything to me. It’s a relationship. When I pray, you’re not talking to the wall; I’m talking to the God who made me and loves me. As I look back over my life, I can see His love through the ways He’s protected me. No matter what you’re going through, God is there to help you, to love you, and to have a relationship with you. It’s not about performance; it’s about talking with your best friend. It’s not a formal prayer or reading certain scripture—it’s just about being with Him, knowing He’s listening, and you can feel that love from Him.
What do you want people to know about God? I want people to know how much God cares about them and wants to talk with them. None of us is ‘good enough ’; we need God, and that’s the bottom line.
