Put Kelly ’ s vid here
Whether it ’ s playing football or digging ditches , you ’ re going to have to set an alarm clock , get up , and go to work — everybody does .”
“ Kelli ,” he said , “ I just want out .”
“ Please listen to me ,” I urged . “ You don ’ t want to quit . . . not really . You ’ re going through a tough time , but think of how hard you ’ ve worked . Think of all the people out there who would give anything to be in your shoes right now . I promise you ,” I cautioned him , “ your life is not going to get any easier if you quit .”
I managed to convince him to stick it out a little while longer , hoping that once the football season started , his natural passion for playing would kick in and he ’ d be fine . It didn ’ t happen . He started blowing off team meetings and showing up to practices late , and as a result , he wound up spending most of his game time on the sidelines as a healthy scratch , meaning he didn ’ t even get to suit up for the game .
That Thanksgiving , instead of enjoying a lovely holiday dinner with friends and loved ones , I found myself choking down a hot dog at Ford Field , watching him stand on the sidelines . After the game , we talked about the struggles he ’ d been having , and he complained about how hard it was to have to get up early every day and go into the facility not knowing if he was even going to get to play .
“ You don ’ t have to be there ,” I corrected him . “ You get to be there .” I reminded him how many college players dream of being part of an NFL team and don ’ t make it , yet God had given him the skills required to turn that dream into a reality . “ You ’ ve been given
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