God, presence of | Adversity | Faith

“Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Take courage son, your sins are forgiven’”
(Matthew 9:9).

In 1992, Dennis Byrd, then a defensive lineman for the New York Jets professional football team suffered a career-ending injury to his spine while still in his 20s. But deep within he continued to see himself as the focus of God’s loving care, even though, externally, he no longer possessed the attributes that had once brought him fame and wealth. In his autobiography, “Rise and Walk,” Byrd writes:
“That’s the miracle! That’s the magic! It’s knowing that all of life is a blessing, that the Lord is with us even if we falter. He is with us even if we fail, He is with us when we break, and He can make us whole. I’ve always believed that. And I always will.”