Fasting for Left Tackle

Fasting is not one of T's favorite things to do.

He gets hungry.

He gets cranky.

He gets distracted.

He's eleven.

It's a pretty normal response, I think.  To his credit, bless his heart, he always gets on board with the rest of us for Fast Sunday.  He does his best and is always so pleased when 'Slow Sundays' make up the rest of the month.

I think it's hard as a parent to really teach the power of fasting to kids.  We do it once a month.  We practice it, but honestly, I don't think I ever really got it myself until I was late teens and early twenties.  Meaning, I didn't really find reasons, have desire, whatever, until then.  I knew it was important.  I'd been taught all the Primary lessons, I knew other people who had done it with success, but I hadn't really applied it myself.

Enough said.  I finally figured it out.

One Friday night last fall, Hub's football traveled to the other end of the state to play a football game.  The team they played is an inner city, rougher neighborhood, tough team.  The coaching staff and players went into the game knowing the chances of a bench clearing brawl were highly likely.  At some point in the 4th quarter the Left Tackle took an illegal hit to his knee. It was bad.

So bad that he couldn't limp off the field.  He was done for the game.  His season might be over.

It was like a punch in the gut.

This coaching staff, like most coaching staffs I would say, love their boys.  Sure, it ebbs and flows from one year to the next, but this group of coaches with this group of kids, had a special bond.  There wasn't just one kid that stood out as something great, there were many.  One of them was Left Tackle.  He was a team captain. He was a leader. He was a good kid. Now his future as a player, not only in high school but college as well, was instantly questionable.

After one of the next plays, the bench cleared. Of course the bench cleared.

I was at home listening to the game on the radio, chewing the side of my cheek waiting for the game to end.

I talked to Hub after and I could hear and feel the concern in his voice. He didn't know what the doctors would say. His concern first, over Left Tackle and second, what his absence would do to his line was deep. He told me the closest thing he could describe it as was if one of our own boys was hurt.

Hub doesn't say stuff like that.

They got home and the word got out that more testing had to be done, his recovery may be long, and anyone who wanted to join in could fast for him on Sunday.

We decided as a family to do just that.

Sunday morning T came to me saying he wasn't sure he could do it.  He was really hungry.  We talked and I told him I thought it was important for him to try his hardest to fast.  That fasting is one way we can show Heavenly Father we're serious about what we're asking for.  That maybe every time he got hungry he could think of how bad he wanted Left Tackle's knee to get better, and decide if he wanted that more than chips, or pizza, or a sandwich.  He looked at me like it was a no-brainer.  'Of course I want his knee better more that I want that stuff.' he said.

We ended our fast later that day before dinner and waited to hear more.

Hub got a call from the head coach.  Left Tackle's MRI had come back that it was a pretty good hyper extension, but nothing had torn, and with some physical therapy and rest he'd be back within about 3 weeks.

I think the heaven's parted and I could hear angels singing.  I was great news!

I went to find T.

I told him the news and he hugged me tight.  He said he'd been praying all day quietly to himself that Left Tackle would be ok.

'Mom, fasting works.  I know it does.  Because I prayed and Heavenly Father heard me.'

Now, I will never say I'm glad Left Tackle took a helmet to his knee in a cheap shot.  Ever.

I will say though, that I'm glad Left Tackle is who he is.  He's made a good impression on my kid.  He works hard. He's polite. He's smart and tries his best in everything he does. He's always smiling. That counts for a lot in my book. He made my kid think that kind of stuff is cool.

He's also the oldest son of a single mom. He has a sister with a major heart problem. He hasn't seen his father in who knows how long and let me tell you, his father is really missing out.  It's not like he has a perfect life.

Left Tackle came back to play his guts out for the rest of the season 3 games after his injury.  The rest of the season included a last second win in the state championship game and signing to play with a State College.

He's a great young man.  He will probably never know that impact he's made on T.

But T does. I do. For that, I am so grateful.