A teenage boy was seriously injured an automobile accident. The doctors did all they could to repair the damages to the boy’s body but despite their fast medical knowledge they were unable to completely restore his legs. He was informed that he would eventually walk, but only with the aid of braces and crutches. The young man was devastated. His whole life had revolved around sports, with the likelihood of receiving an athletic scholarship in football. He would never run again. He was not even sure that he wanted to walk.
The next year was not easy one for the boy or his parents. Major decisions had to be made, routines established, and attitudes adjusted. Time, prayers, and patience help to restore some of the boy’s confidence in himself, but he still battled daily with lapses into self-pity. One evening the boy’s father approached him and said, "get dressed, I want us to go to church tonight and hear the guest preacher." At first boy protested, but eventually agreed at the father’s insistence.
At the conclusion of the sermon, the preacher gave an altar call. The father
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