Inseparable by Shaquem Griffin

Author:Shaquem Griffin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2019-05-17T16:00:00+00:00

12

REDEMPTION

SHAQUEM

Two heads are better than one, as the old saying goes, and that’s probably why many of the most successful athletes in history had a great coach behind them.

Would legendary Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan have won six NBA championships without Phil Jackson drawing up plays on the bench? Would San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana have won four Super Bowl titles without Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh calling plays from the sideline? And would New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady still be winning championships—after turning forty—without mastermind Bill Belichick supporting him?

After everything I’ve been through, I firmly believe that we don’t meet people by accident. I think others cross our paths for a specific reason—because God wants them to be a part of our lives. I trust that is why Shaquill and I are twin brothers. God put us on this earth together to help each other through the pitfalls and obstacles we’ve faced throughout our lives. He put us together to pick each other up when the other is struggling, and to keep each other grounded and humble when we’re thriving.

I think we have to accept that God will put the right people in our lives for the right reasons—and at the exact moment that we might need them. God provides us answers we might want through these people. When we’re struggling, he introduces us to others who can support us and help us dig out of the darkness and get our lives back on track. I think the televangelist pastor and author Joel Osteen probably said it best: “God puts people in our lives on purpose so we can help them succeed and help them become all He created them to be. People will not reach their full potential without somebody else believing in them.”2

I once heard somebody say that people come into our lives as blessings, while we’re introduced to others as lessons. I think that’s true. In my case, I believe God put people in my life for specific reasons, and he removed others for even better reasons. As I told you earlier, I was miserable playing football at the University of Central Florida under coach George O’Leary. No matter how hard I worked or how hard I tried, I simply was not going to see the field. And I have no doubt that my limb difference was the reason why.

Looking back now, I understand that my first three seasons at UCF, as painful as they ended up being, were part of God’s plan for my life. At the time, I wasn’t strong enough in my faith to understand it. I knew only one thing: I wanted to play football. Now I understand that being resentful and bitter was unhealthy. I needed to forgive Coach O’Leary and focus on the things I could control.

About five weeks after O’Leary retired as our coach in October 2015, UCF officials hired Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost as his replacement. Looking back now, I can honestly say that was the day my life changed forever—and for the better.

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