"You can't live someone else's expectations in life. It's a recipe for disaster." - Bear Grylls
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| Boxing Ring |
Well said, Bear Grylls. Isn't it true how much people expect you to "do this, or that" in the face of the different challenges of your life? Some expect that, since there's so much trouble coming at you since you made that decision to marry that guy, or take that job, or even give God that money, that it's a sign that God is against your decision. They forget that, facing troubles after a decision isn't a sign that you decided wrongly. Neither is everything going smoothly a sign that God is with you. The Israelites were to be made free by an instruction from God, but that didn't stop them from receiving the heat from Pharaoh!
George was destined to spend the next three falls seasons in the hospital. In 1948, it was after he stepped on a rusty nail. In 1949, it was tonsillitis, just before he was to sing in an audition for Phil Harris, a great orchestra leader and radio comedy icon. And in 1950, it was third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body and collapsed lungs. After an explosion had set George’s body on fire, my brother Alan put the flames out by throwing himself on George. Alan had saved his brother’s life, but he received serious burns himself. Following each challenge, George came back stronger and surer of his own ability to overcome any obstacle. He had read that if one looks at the roadblocks, he isn’t looking at the goal.
"Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a
disaster, such as sudden global nuclear war, a genetically engineered
virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of." - Stephen Hawking
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| Boxing |
The story continues. The next year, after being named to start for
Missouri Valley College in one of the first football games to be
televised locally, George came down with mononucleosis. It was my
brother Bob who helped reinforce George’s already strong philosophy of
never giving up. The family was sitting in George’s room at the
hospital, watching the game on TV, when Valley’s quarterback completed a
12-yard pass to the tight end. Then the announcer said, "And George
Schlatter makes the first catch of the game." Shocked, we all looked at
the bed to make sure George was still there. Then we realized what had
happened. Bob, who had made the starting line-up, had worn George’s
number so George could spend the afternoon hearing himself catching six
passes and making countless tackles. Later he said, "If I can do that
flat on my back with a temperature of 103 degrees, just think what I can
do when I’m up!" As he overcame mono, he did it with the lesson Bob
taught him that day…there is always a way!
