As a young college student, all I wanted to do was find people to fit in with, and I did.
As a young, college, Christian student, finding a Bible study group was a tough match but in the end, I found one.
A senior on our baseball team, at the time, started holding bible study on campus once a week, every week.
It never got too big, just a handful of teammates coming together and reading scripture and sharing with each other. However, one night, he brought one of his good friends, and his name was Kasey Redfern. He was playing collegiate football and was the punter at Wofford at the time and since then, has graduated.
The other day, I was flying back from Indiana and my connecting flight was in Chicago. It was going on the fourth hour of me sitting and watching the Olympics before I decided to get up and stretch my legs. As I was getting up and waiting to board, I caught a glimpse of someone that looked really familiar.
It was Kasey.
We shook hands, spoke, and honestly, I was just shocked to see anyone I knew on a 10 p.m. flight from Chicago, much less someone that I haven't seen in quite sometime. We kept talking and I figured out why he was there.
He went undrafted in the NFL Draft out of Wofford. Since then, he had been with the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad and most recently, was with the San Diego Chargers. However, he was let go from the Chargers on Monday and was on his way back home to be with his fiancé and family. When he told me he was released, he didn't give a long explanation. For him, it was all about God's purpose and plan, something that hit me hard and made me think.
For the next two hours on our flight home, we got the luxury to sit together. We talked about everything and for the last hour of the flight, we went back to the bible study days. He shared with me some notes he took on a speaker and we just talked about our thoughts on verses that we read. We got our bags and went our separate ways-- but that conversation has stuck with me.
For Kasey, like myself, he has a deep passion for God. A passion that I have seen in bible study and that was in full force on that plane Tuesday night.
His words and his thoughts that he had written down and shared with me were awesome, and some that have helped me over the past couple of days as I look deeper and try and add to my foundation.
Why is this important?
In the book, "Where The Red Fern Grows," Billy really wants his dogs. He's a young boy that has one goal in mind. As he comes across these obstacles within the story, it would have been easy for him to give up. However, he continues to fight for himself and his prize, and in his case, his dogs.
With that said, our past tends to hold us back on furthering our knowledge and bettering ourselves each and everyday and ultimately achieving what we want. For Kasey, there is no doubt that getting let go from an NFL team is tough. However, it didn't stop him from putting on a smile and looking at a bigger picture.
For those of you going through tough times, this is where you dig down deep. Whether it's at home, at school, or wherever, you can do it. Tough times don't determine a person; it's what you choose to do with those that adds to your legacy. Let this be a lesson and know that people aren't one dimensional. Just because one thing doesn't go your way doesn't mean you can't use your other gifts to put smiles and positivity into other people's lives.
Our world needs more people like Kasey Redfern. The best is yet to come for you, my friend.
Where the Redfern grows, is where we follow. Where we follow, is where we lead others.
