And Inky Johnson is down on the field
That's not good
And I can see the play unfold I can see it clear like it's in HD
And I see the quarterback rolling and he's dropping back and as soon as I hit him
Something happened that never happened to me before in my life
As soon as I hit him it seemed as if every breath of my body left
My body went completely limp. I lost control. I fell to the ground. I blacked out that never happened to me before
When my eyes opened my teammates ran over to me they Ink get up. Let's rock. Let's go. Let's close them out
I said I can't they said, what do you mean you can't you always get up man. You're our guy
I said I know but I can't they said what do you mean you can't I said I can't move
See there's a shot going from the crown of my head to the bottom of my feet. I can't feel anything
The shock eventually left but it stayed in my right arm and hand. They brought the spine board out
They put me on the spine board
They're wheeling me off the field we get to the ambulance and my father is standing there
And I say to my father. I said pops. I got him right? I put it on him, right?
He said yep Ink but I think you got the worst part of this one
They rolled me up in the Ambulance. They said Ink. We'll take you over run a couple tests this football things happened
You'll be fine man. They take me over. They run their tests. They bring me back into a room. My mother comes in
Kisses me says a prayer cracks a joke says Ink you'll be fine football things happen
And she's going to walk out and I'm watching my mother walk out
But as she's exiting the room I can hear footsteps from the opposite side
And when I turn to look it's the head doctor and he's running at this point, he's screaming
And I'll never forget he says guys guys get in here. Got a rush this kid back to emergency surgery. He's about to die
And I wake up the next day
My career's over
Almost lost my life. Got a paralyzed right arm in hand, and my life has completely changed
And it was in that moment that I realized I had no control over my life
Because I had been working from the time I was seven until the time
I was 20 in every action every decision
every choice
Was geared toward me trying to make it to this thing call the NFL the National Football League and as soon as I got close
to it and thought it was about to happen. It was as if God said not yet
I want to redirect you and take you this way
And I was like God, but I'm right here
Like let me get to the NFL so I can help my family and
then redirect me and God was saying no, I got something even greater even sweeter
And I know you can't see it right now
But I need you to trust me and I'm like God. I need you to trust me
Like let me get it God
I grew up to 2 bedroom home 14 people
Sleeping on the floor the first time I uttered the words
I want to go to the NFL the words that followed it up was maybe I can get my own bed one day
Because me, and my cousins were sleeping on pallets
I just wanted to get my own bed and pull my mother off the double shift at Wendy's
And so when I got to the moment that I thought it was about the manifest. I'm like Lord, just give it to me
Let me get the contract go back help my family and then you can redirect me and the Lord was like no I need you
To trust me
Even though you can't trace me Inky Johnson. I need you to trust me and just follow what I got
I need you to rejoice in the midst of opposition in the midst of adversity and the midst of trials. It's a big difference between
quoting scripture and having to live it
And I was finally at a point in my life to where I had to literally live the scripture
I had to live Jeremiah 29:11
When it says for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper
you not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future Inky I need you to trust me
I'm like, Lord I need you to trust me
People are coming over to my bed saying Ink man, you deserve it man, you're good guy man
You deserve the NFL you work hard. You never cheat at the game. You did things the right way. You deserve it, man
It shouldn't have happened to you
And I'm sitting there and I don't know if you've ever been through something that the situation holds so much conviction
That it makes you self assess in question your principles and your values about life
And I was so embarrassed because I felt like I had shortchange God
I'm like man with all the gifts talents and abilities that God had bless you with
The only thing you were focused on was the NFL that's low-hanging fruit
I'm like Ink was that it?
Like and my father is sitting there and everybody is analyzing the situation trying to see how I'm gonna respond and my father's on fire
And the first thing my father says to me is Ink how does this God that you love so much let this happen to you
How does this God you go to church for let this happen to how does this God you pray to son
Let this happen to you. I see when you make a play and you say glory to God. Well if God is so good Ink
How could this God let this happen to you?
Because through his lenses, all he can see is my son is hurt
My father came to me and said Ink you know what I'm gonna come and stay with you for the next 30 days
I had never been under the same roof as my father. I'm talking about staying for consecutive days that never happened
He said I'm gonna come I'm gonna take you to class. I'm gonna take you to church
I'm gonna take you to rehab for your arm. I'm gonna do everything with you
Like, okay
And so my father would take me to FCA
Discipleship and he will be there and he would stand literally outside of the door and he would hear me in the chaplain going back
and forth he would just stand there when the session would end. He would say Ink you good. I would say yes, sir
He would take me and so when I would get on my knees to pray
My father would always come by my room and he would say Ink you need anything. I would say no sir I'm good
And on the 29th day, I find it odd. My number is 29
My favorite bible verse Jeremiah 29:11
On the 29th day I'm on my knees to pray and my father comes by my room
He says hey Ink you need anything. I said, no, sir. I'm good
He steps back into my room and he says Ink man. I want to talk to you about something. I'm still on my knees
I say, yes, sir. He said you know that God you pray to
I say, yes, sir
He says you know that God I take you to discipleship about I say. Yes, sir
You know that God I take you to FCA Church all of that. I say. Yes, sir
He said if that God can help you handle this situation the way you handling it
He said son. I want to give my life to Christ
My father was headed down a path of destruction he had three daughters
When my father got saved and got his salvation. My father's household was corrected
My three teammates and roommates and best friends that were in my household
All of them gave their life to Christ
And so when I look at this situation and people call the million dollar question Inky why wouldn't you change what happened to you
I'm like you serious
I'm like
Let me tell you why I wouldn't change it if I had to put on the scale the NFL my father
Salvation my three best friend salvation, and if I had to weigh it on the scale and they say a Inky pick
What would you choose 10 out of 10 times I'm gonna pick my friend's salvation and my father's salvation
Because I know I'm wise enough to understand this is the real contract
And It's long and it's rich
It's more fulfilling and sweeter
It might involves a little pain and a little pruning that you don't understand
But when you come through it
You'll be a better person because of it in
Colossians 3:23 it says do all things as if you're doing it for the glory of God
and if I'm doing something for the glory of God at a certain point when an
opposition the adversity and the challenges hit I'll rejoice because I know it's God trying to take me to the next level
And so the discomfort for me
It's great like at a certain point the comfort zone young people have to understand the comfort zone is a beautiful place but nothing ever
grows there you could be comfortable all you want
But you can equate comfort to being stagnant if a person ever wants to grow it's heavy
Sacrificing involved and it's heavy discomfort involved
Because we all gonna hit that wall we're all gonna hit opposition
We're all gonna hit adversity, but I think we all know at the core. It's never about what happens to you
It's about how you respond to it. You can control that
Right, and if you're resilient you'll get whatever you're looking for if you're resilient if you're consistent, you'll keep it
But if you're grateful
Whatever you want will increase
In life people don't burn out because of what they do
People burn out because life makes them forget why they do it
And so every single day when whatever you do if it's football if it's basketball
Whatever the case may be every single day when you do it before you approach it ask yourself a question
Like at the core I'm talking about with conviction
Say why do I really do it? But most importantly Who am I really doing it for? Am I doing it for my ego?
Am I doing it for my pride? Am I doing it for superficial or
materialistic or am I doing it to bring glory to the Lord and so every single day of my
Natural-born life I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna use this arm not just with like how I live my life
I'm gonna use this arm every single day of my life to impact another life