Jake Byrne - First and Goal: What Football Taught Me About Never Giving Up

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

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Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon

FIRST AND GOAL

Copyright 2015 Jake Byrne

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Byrne, Jake.

First and goal / Jake Byrne with H. Michael.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-7369-6189-9 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-6190-5 (eBook)

1. Teenage boysReligious lifeMeditations. 2. Devotional literature. 3 FootballMiscellanea. I. Title.

BV4541.3.B97 2015

242'.632dc23

2014038257

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Contents

Success isnt owned. Its leased, and rent is due every day.

J. J. W ATT

It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way. I pursued my enemies and overtook themYou armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes (Psalm 18:32-40).

I received these verses from Psalm 18 in a text from my mom before one of my NFL games. The words grabbed me and put into perspective what God will do and what I need to do.

The start of a game is the calm before the storm, a time for players to prepare their minds and bodies for what is to come and embrace what we, as professionals, have trained for so long to do.

In some ways a game is like a battle. I need feet like a deer and a broad path so my ankles do not give way. I face enemies who want to destroy me, but its God who arms me with strength for football and in life.

For all of us, life can sometimes seem like a series of battles. As an athlete with an autoimmune disease, Ive faced many adversaries on the field and in life; from getting diagnosed with type 1 diabetes while chasing my goal of playing high school football to getting cut from NFL teams not once but several times.

In my freshman year in college, I was challenged with juggling academics, diabetes, and a demanding football schedule. Ive embraced my plans and set big goals, but Ive faced failures along the way too.

No one gets an easy pass in life. We all meet struggles while pursuing our dreams. Sometimes our knees shake when facing giants, and sometimes our feet get knocked out from under us.

Those are defining moments.

But as the psalmist reminds us, its God who arms us and keeps our way secure. When knocked down, we must not sit and cower. God equips us with the confidence. There is peace in knowing that no matter how hard we fall, God reaches out His hand, like a teammate in a game, and pulls us back onto our feet. We make plans, but sometimes He rewrites those plans and shows us new ways to achieve our goals.

Im surprised anyone would offer me a contract to write a book. Im also surprised, as many of my friends will be, that my book is a devotional filled with Scripture. Theres so much about religion I still dont know, but the simple fact is that deep down my faith is real, and I trust in God above all things.

First and Goal: What Football Taught Me About Never Giving Up is an A-to-Z football terminology devotional. I hope you will be encouraged through short anecdotes from my childhood, my struggles as a type 1 diabetic, and my journey in the NFL. Even if you know nothing about football, you may enjoy picking up basic terminology about the game. I pray you find comfort and strength in the Scriptures and realize that you are never alone in whatever goals you are striving to achieve.

Life is short. Now is the time to accomplish that goal you hold in your heart. With God, nothing is impossible.

When the quarterback changes the play at the line of scrimmage, based on the defensive formation, he calls an audible, which is a better-suited play.

B eginning my freshman year in high school, through hard work, dedication, and by the grace of God Id earned a starting spot as an offensive tackle on our football team. Standing at 6 feet 5 and weighing in as a 240-pound 14-year-old, I was one of the teams biggest players. With early interest from college scouts, I ran full steam ahead, thinking I had life all figured out.

By the time the season had ended, Id dropped 40 pounds and suffered from constant fatigue. The drastic weight loss confused me, my parents, and the coaches. I ate like a ravenous wolf and worked out constantly, hoping to gain weight. Instead, I shed pounds like a German shepherd sheds fur.

An unseen offense had launched a full-scale attack against my body. First, relentless hunger and weight loss. Then, the thirst. I guzzled gallons of Gatorade and water. My constant bathroom breaks annoyed my teachers and had me worried.

At the doctors office I expected a prescription for a bladder infection. Instead, I got rocked by the hardest hit Id ever taken: a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

I know the plans I have for you, declares the L ORD , plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Diabetes meant a major lifestyle change. My endocrinologist assured me I could still play footballbut only if I did everything by the book. I had to call my own audible. This disease forced me onto my own personal line of scrimmage, where I had to come up with a new game plan and change my mind-set. Controlling my blood sugar meant huge dietary adjustments. I had to act as my own pancreas, injecting proper amounts of insulin each time I consumed carbs in order to maintain healthy sugar levels.

Support from family, friends, and coaches carried me through difficult moments, along with a peaceful reassurance that God cared about my plans, hopes, and dreams. Have you been there? Believed you had your game plan all figured out, only to take a hit from an unexpected challenge? Have faith and listen to the audible God is calling. Trust that He has plans for yougood plans for a future and greater plans than you can ever imagine.