Find The Faith To Tackle Life's Biggest ChallengesSample

Second Chances

In highschool my dad loosened the reins a little bit. He was still strict, letting me know that he expected to see my grades improve or he’d pull me out of football and everything else. As I went out more, I found out the reality of what he’d been shielding us from. Our neighborhood was that rough. Many times we would hear about someone being shot, and in our world that meant their face ended up on a T-shirt as a memorial to them. I didn’t want to end up on a T-shirt!

My first report card in high school had the words “Honor Roll” printed at the top. I couldn’t believe it. My dad was so proud. He gave me more freedom and I decided that, no matter what, I would stay on the honor roll the rest of my school years. 

At that time, I was playing both football and basketball. One day on the basketball court I tried to dunk the ball and fell hard, breaking my lower leg. It was just a freak accident; my leg looked like it had two knees! They told me I needed surgery, and as I was being wheeled in I kept thinking, Why did this happen? God, what’s gonna happen to me? God and church weren’t a big part of my life during these years, but there were small seeds planted that turned my mind His direction at difficult times. This was the beginning of many lessons God taught me about facing trials where I didn’t have control over my circumstances, only my attitude in facing them.

Going back to school with my cast and wheelchair was great, but when the cast came off and physical therapy started, that was torture! My dad knew I couldn’t take it alone, so he always went with me. He sat through the whole thing, encouraging me that I could make it. And he was right. He helped me begin to learn perseverence under trial. This perseverence would serve me well in later years when my faith in God was growing and was seriously put to the test. 

In seven short months I’d gone from thinking I might never be able to play sports again to a full recovery. I didn’t let the pain or the difficulty stop me. I proved to myself that I was willing to go through pain and sacrifice in order to live my dream of playing sports. With the help of my personal support team, I persevered. 

Breaking my leg was a blessing in disguise. What could have been a setback became an advantage—God was building my character, one challenge at a time. And that made a huge difference on my outlook for the future. As I played football, worked hard at school, and saw that colleges were watching me, I knew I had found a way out of the negative elements in my world. I felt like I’d been given a second chance at life.

Respond

What negative influences do you face? 

What challenges is God using to shape your character? 

How has God been at work to give you a second chance in life? What are you willing to sacrifice or endure to make the most of that chance?