Last Saturday morning I watched the SEC Network as they were filming that morning from Jacksonville Florida for the FL / GA football game that day. During the show, they had Patric Young, who is from Jacksonville, on the show to share his current life story. You may remember Patric Young, who played basketball for the Gators. Here is a brief synopsis of his Gator career from Wikipedia:
Young accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a member of coach Billy Donovan‘s Florida Gators men’s basketball team from 2010 to 2014. In his four-year college career at Florida, Young became the 50th 1,000-point scorer in UF history, and finished his career 27th on the all-time scoring list, with 1,307 points. He also became the 11th Gator all-time with 1,300 points and 800 rebounds. Young never missed a game in his college basketball career, becoming the second player in Florida program history to appear in 150 games.
Young went undrafted by the NBA that year but played professionally overseas for about 6 years. Young last year served as a basketball analyst for the SEC Network and plans to return in that role again this year. However, Patric had a major lifechanging event this past June. He was working for a friend in Nebraska and had to move a pickup truck just a mile down the road for his friend. Because the distance to travel was so short and he would be going slow, Patric didn’t bother to put on his seat belt. On the way, his truck left the road and rolled over, leaving Patric paralyzed from the waist down.
Here is my summarization of the comments Patric made to the to the SEC Network audience – Live in the moment, don’t regret the past or fear the future. Enjoy your family, the life you have today. After Patric finished his comments, Tim Tebow added that we all should love more, care more, and live in the moment.
In reviewing some other information available on Patric’s situation, I found the following scripture which has become Patric’s favorite.
James 1:2-4 – Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Patric could have become depressed and felt so sorry for himself and his new condition, but he has always believed in God. God has helped Patric to realize he still has so much to live for himself and his family, and this new physical limitation need not restrain his enthusiasm for continuing to serve the God he loves
There is nothing else for me to say today, as I think Patric and Tim have said it all.