Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Lunch with a Linebacker


I had lunch today with an NFL (National Football League) Linebacker. Okay, former NFL Linebacker, but still...
Steve Grant, Indianapolis Colts Linebacker, came and spoke to a group of kids today. I got to listen. It was for the kids, but I got some stuff out of it as well. No, not just an autographed sports card (which is kinda cool), but something from his message.
He is a speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and had quite a story to tell about his growing up without a father, living in Miami and making lots of mistakes, deciding at age 7 he wanted to be in the NFL and how he got there. It was really great to see him making a connection with these "at risk" kids and giving them some hope that, If this guy can do it - maybe I can as well!
So we went to lunch. He was just as down-to-earth as anyone else and very real. Not blah blah blah religious stuff. Just coming from where he had been and trying to pass some of it on to help out others. Like we all try to do. He has went from unhealthy (spiritually speaking) to healthy.
He has Trademarked a saying, and I will post it here: "You're not born a winner. You're not born a loser. You're born a CHOOSER."
You can choose your path. You can choose to stay where you are, whether it is unhealthy or not, or you can choose to move forward to a better place. Its up to you. No one else. You don't just become a winner or loser. You are a chooser.
I like that.

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