Matt Turk is the oldest player in the NFL - He is one of only 2 current players that were born before 1970. (Saints Kicker John Kasay is the other one) He has played for 7 1/2 different teams (the half is because he played for both the St. Louis AND the Los Angeles Rams). He graduated from College before many of his colleagues were out of elementary school, and yet he remains in the league, carving out a career that has seen him punt the ball over 1,100 times for a total distance of just less than 27 1/2 miles. He has been to the Pro Bowl 3 times and was an All Pro each of those years as well.
Turk tells the story in this article from The Houston Chronicle about the good things and the hard things that life has brought his way. The prayers that were answered and the ones that were not answered the way he hoped they would be. He shares of growing up with his 5 brothers raised by his mom, a single parent that waited tables and washed floors to support them all. He shares about his older brother, Dan, who also played in the NFL and was Turk's teammate for a couple of years and lost his battle with cancer a couple years ago. Dan was the big brother, the father figure and although known for a mean streak, he became a Christian and drastic changes were evident. Matt noticed the change in Dan's life and sought what it was all about. Matt gave his life to Christ as a senior in College. He is still going on his NFL career, and as you can read in this article from The Florida Times-Union he is not ready to have his career end yet, even though some of his teammates are closer in age to his kids then they are to Him.
Here are some lessons I take from Turk's story:
1- When Prayers seem Unanswered - They are not. We have our idea of how we want God to answer our prayers, and sometimes, that is how it works out. But sometimes, it doesn't work out that way. Turk lost his brother, Dan, despite his fervent prayers that he be healed. That is a common one, and I don't know why God restores some to health here and calls others home. But I do agree with Turk's take. When your prayers don't get answered the way you want, you have 2 choices. Draw closer to God, or push God away. Turk wanted to be angry and bitter and give up on God, but he knew that it meant denying God, or admitting that God is still in control. He chose the second, and knows that he is stronger because of the struggles that he has gone through. God is able to teach us, and to show us his strength, faithfulness and love even in these hard times. It is impossible to completely learn this lesson. We will always have to continuously and intentionally give up our anger, bitterness and confusion and trust that God's plan and way is the best. It is hard to understand sometimes, but that is where our faith has a chance to grow stronger.
2- Be willing to Give and Serve - Turk grew up in a fatherless home. He is very close to his brothers and his mom, and the closeness of the family is evident as you read how he took in a niece and a nephew to live with him and his family to give them a new environment. They did fine and Turk talks emotionally about how great it was to have them there. His niece graduated from High School and college on a full scholarship, and his nephew, Ben, learned how to punt and is now the punter for the Notre Dame fighting Irish. God calls us to serve other, to be generous and giving of what he has given to us. And like Turk mentioned, when we do, not only do those we serve get the benefit, but as we serve, we learn so much about God and his heart for others, and often, we come away feeling like we are better off for having served.Turk's story is very encouraging. Stick with God even in hard times, no other choice makes sense.
0 comments:
Post a Comment