Football

It's that time again.....fall is in the air (already) and the football stands are filling up. Football is filling up our schedule more that it use to. One of my brothers is a senior looking to play in college and my little brother is now in junior high.....the big time! My brother in law is a HS football coach close by us, our family is sponsoring 2 football players from the small college in our town, and we are fans of our state teams.....divided family! Our bottoms and backs are getting adjusted to those awful bleacher seats.

.......Well this is how the post was going to start as of a week ago. Now it goes something like this....

"I don't care how good he plays, I just pray that he doesn't get hurt!" That has been my prayer along with many others going up for my brother Brock and God chose to answer that prayer in a different way. I believe it was the right answer in God's big picture, but from our small view it hasn't been easy to understand. Last Tuesday in practice he was "cutting" (football lingo?) and heard a "pop" and went down. History has repeated itself once again and if you have been following along on my blog from the beginning you might remember that this isn't the first....second....or third time this has happened.....it is the fourth time he has hurt his knees playing football. God has been gracious and healed Brock from the previous injuries. With hard work and dedication he has come back to continue his dream. This being his senior year and fourth surgery....he tore his ACL, a little meniscus and has a tiny fracture on his tibia......he most likely will not be playing again. Once again God has reminded us that He is in control and sometimes our plans are not His. Needless to say it has been a hard week for our family adjusting to this new reality. I have to be honest and say that my first reaction was to question God....."Why?" He is such a neat kid who has worked SOO hard for something he wanted SOO bad. "God you know the desires of our hearts?" I have never seen a High School kid work harder than he has with such a determined spirit. As my "little" brother he has been in inspiration to me along the way. The way he sacrifices his time, help leads his team, perseveres through all the injuries, the example of Christ that he is to his peers and his heart of humility through it all! I know in the end through all the questions and tears that God has something so much more amazing in store for him that He has chosen a different path for Brock's future. God never said that life would be easy and when we put it in the grand scheme of things......as we have friends battling terminal diseases, and friends that have lost loved ones.....we have so much to be thankful for! The time that God has given him to be a light and witness for him our there on that field could be exactly why He took him down this path. Brock has allowed God to shape and mold him into the man that he is today.....a man of integrity! And for that we Praise you Lord!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11