War Cry - August, 2013 Page 19

But about 30 days after we got home from the trip

I was hospitalized with Hepatitis A. It was probably

from drinking the water. When I got sick, I had been

upset and critical because I was not named the starter

at BC. And not even named the backup. I was like fourth

string at the time. I made a lot of excuses why I wasn't

playing. And most of them had to do with somebody else.

Somebody else was the problem. It wasn't me. It never was.

Also, I don't think I worked as hard as I needed. Because

that gave me an out. If I wasn't successful, if I wasn't named

the starting quarterback, it was, "Well, I didn't try that hard

anyway." It was my safety net. My excuse for falling short.

I missed all of spring football because of the Hepatitis.

All 100 of my teammates had to get a shot. They loved me

for that. I lost 30 pounds. I was in the hospital for six days.

I was very jaundiced.

But I never really thought

why me? I thought this is noth-

ing compared to what these people in Jamaica, these lepers,
were dealing with. And yet they had so much joy in their
hearts despite their circumstances. While in that hospital
bed I made a decision. I said a prayer, "Dear God, I apolo-
gize for not using this health and athletic ability you've
given me to the fullest."

I made a promise that when I got better, and I knew I'd

get better, I was going to try as hard as I could all the time.
Whether there's coaches out there or there's no one out
there. Whether it's me and my teammates, or it's just me.

Later, I was working out on my own on a track near my

hometown. You'd have thought I was running in front of 100,000
people. I decided I was doing it for an audience of one. I'm
playing for the person who created me. And I'm trying to make
Him proud and not waste this ability He's given me.

The results were dramatic in terms of what kind of player

I was. I went from being a terrible player to being the guy
who became the starting quarterback at BC. I later made an
NFL practice squad at Green Bay and became the starter at
Seattle. I really think all my success was because of that les-
son I learned in Jamaica from George.

So many people say to me, "You are my role model."

That's just because I'm a quarterback in the NFL. Well,
anybody can be a role model. Who would have thought that
some elderly guy with leprosy in Kingston, Jamaica, would be
one of the top role models for a 19-year-old kid from Boston?

It's been an amazing journey. And now I can stand and

raise my hands and say, "Thank you Jesus."

August

2O13

W W W . S A I N T E R S E C T I O N . O R G

Reasonable Rebellion

f we were completely honest with ourselves,

most of us would admit to having entertained rebellious
thoughts and sometimes even succumbing to those

thoughts and rebelling against the authority fi gures in our
lives. At fi rst consideration, rebellion
seems reasonable, doesn't it? After all,
nobody knows us like we know ourselves,
right? We know what fi ts best for our own
set of life circumstances and we certainly
know ourselves well enough to know
how to get out of life's predicaments.

Rebellion is portrayed in fi lm often as

an admired character trait. Take the
recent animated feature fi lm, "The
Croods", for example. A prehistoric family
is protected diligently by Grug (the dad).
All their hunting and foraging is only to
be done during daylight because when the sun sets, unseen
danger lurks. Grug's advice to his family is, "New is always
bad; never not be afraid." The problem is that his daughter,
Eep, has a penchant for both adventure and rebellion.

As humorous and enjoyable as this fi lm is, the message

that rebellion leads to adventure is not a message that should
be conveyed so light-heartedly. There are consequences to
rebellion, often dire and painful consequences. Certainly as

children, we did well to heed our
parents' guidance. As we grew
older, our parents and those who
nurtured us allowed us to explore the

edges of safety so that we could
fi nd our own way in life. But all out
rebellion would have resulted in
disaster � for some, such disaster
has been experienced.

The prophet Hosea made this

declaration to the children of Israel:
"Who is wise? Let them realize these
things. Who is discerning? Let them
understand. The ways of the Lord are
right; the righteous walk in them, but the
rebellious stumble in them" (Hosea 14:9).
We have available to us solid instruction

that will allow us to explore the edges of our world while
experiencing the safety and protection of a loving God.

The author of Proverbs writes, "...do not let wisdom and

understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment
and discretion... Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble" (Proverbs 3:21, 23). As the
source of this instruction, the Bible provides the wisdom
we need to safely discover all that's good.

CHOICE

PICKS

CHOIC

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