While covering a kickoff for Luther College, freshman Chris Norton suffered a serious neck injury that, at first, gave him a 3% chance of ever walking again. The story has gained national attention not just because of the severity of the injury but because that same day Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand suffered a major neck injury that left him paralyzed. The college football world continues to pray for both young men, and the inspirational comeback of Chris Norton is chronicled daily by his family on a Caring Bridge website.
Chris's father, Terry, posted an entry today. Here's an excerpt:
I should be in bed trying to get some sleep but I had some things on my mind. I was thinking about the word "faith". Sometimes we like to use words that sound "catchy" but really have no substance or meaning to us. I have been involved in sports all of my life and have watched people who talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. They use words like "heart", "competitor", "winner", but what I have found is that we all look good and sound believable when things are going well. It is easy to talk about these things when things are going our way, and we are "front runners". But where these words really have meaning is when things don't follow our plan, when things don't go like we want them to, or when we are truly faced with adversity and the wheels are falling off. The world is full of good "intentions".Bring on tomorrow!
When I talk about "faith", it is not a general I have faith in the future, or faith in good luck, or faith in my own abilities. My "faith" is based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And because of this faith, I welcome what tomorrow has to bring for us.
