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High-school football player finds healing in God
For the last two weeks of August, I participated in football camp at my school. During one of the numerous tackling drills we did during camp, my knee was bent too far back. I stepped out of the drill for a few minutes and declared to myself that I was the perfect child of God, and that injury had no place in me. As practice continued, the stiffness and pain increased, but I kept knowing that it was not part of me. And I finished practice.
Later, I called my mom and asked her to pray for me. That evening a Christian Science nurse gave me a stretch bandage for my knee. I sat out the next morning's practice and just watched. Before practice I had read this passage from the Bible: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isa. 41:10). I did not need to be afraid of this injury. God would give me all the strength I would need. He was holding on to me and would never let me out of His care.
Before our afternoon practice, I called my mom again to talk with her about the progress of my healing. She told me to realize that I had all the joy and self-control that God had given me. She had been praying. She explained that I needed to remember my inner joy. Before I went out onto the field, I decided to have fun regardless of the material situation. Once I stopped listening to matter and depended on God in this way, I would feel God's firm control right there with me. I decided to play in the afternoon practice, even though my knee had not fully healed yet. I felt that it was right to play because I knew this restriction had no authority over me. My mom had been praying for me, and she said that she would continue while I went to practice. Though my knee still hurt a little bit during practice, I continued to play.
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August 7, 2000 issue
View Issue-
To Our Readers
Mary Metzner Trammell
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YOUR LETTERS
with contributions from Mary Lee Dyer, Alberta Zimmerman
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items of interest
with contributions from Joseph Epstein, Oprah Winfrey, Jim Wallis
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The original medicine—Mind
By Mark Swinney
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"What things?"
By Edwin G. Leever
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Never too late to feel God's love
By Amanda Holmes Duffy
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The God of the tunnel
By Gay Bryant
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Sing your way out
By Loretta King
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Rough going? Remember the ducks
By Sharon S. Jeffrey
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GRACE IN A CRUNCH
By Bev DeWindt
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Dear Sentinel
Abby Hunter
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High-school football player finds healing in God
Kevin Sheldon Pratt with contributions from Kathryn Groener Pratt
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Flu quickly healed
Joy Bennett
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Prayer and gratitude heal sinus condition
Lois Rae Carlson
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"Senior moment"? Think again
By Robert A. Johnson
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Well-loved child
Cheryl Ranson
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Healing old hurts
Margaret Rogers