Wandell’s message spills into the world of sports
Published 11:48 pm Friday, February 21, 2020
Reflecting back on the life of Dr. Josh Wandell has been something that many of us that knew him have done since his passing and that includes yours truly.
It’s very obvious how one can take Faith>Fear and apply it to one’s spiritual life because at the heart of that message is one that Christ himself shared many times throughout the Bible when He encouraged us as His children not to worry for the morrow because the morrow will take care of itself.
In other words, if we trust in Christ as we say we do then we have nothing at all to fear because He already has everything in his hands and there’s is no need to do anything aside from having faith to believe that.
But Dr. Wandell’s message applies to the sports world as well, more specifically to those young athletes that fail because they allow the fear of failure to consume them and ultimately they fall flat on their faces.
I don’t believe there is one individual that hasn’t had aspirations of becoming something more than anyone could even fathom.
Think about it – how many time as a kid did you stand in front of a wall and pretend to be Nolan Ryan throwing a blazing fastball at the wall for the final out of the World Series or standing in the mud at an outdoor basketball goal imaging that they were Michael Jordan or Larry Bird getting ready to win a World Championship with a game-winning free throw.
Or perhaps it was on the playground at school with the final pass as the recess bell rang deep for a score seeing one’s self as a Roger Staubach or Joe Montana.
The point is that somewhere in life whether in the world of sports or some other field that we all have had big dreams.
But just like in life, there is always looking to cast doubt or fear at us telling us that we aren’t good enough and will never be good enough or even going as far as making fun because maybe we couldn’t do something like the rest of the guys.
Yes, Dr. Wandell preached a great message even though so many times he didn’t have to say a word.
How many of us would have the courage to allow a group of men to push us through races as spectators looked on not knowing exactly what they might be thinking but that’s exactly what Dr. Wandell did?
He gave sermon after sermon each time he took his seat in his racing cycle that nothing and I mean nothing should allow someone or something create fear in us and make us stop doing what we love.
Young people need to hear that message more and more today especially in the world of athletics.
They need to be encouraged to continue dreaming those big dreams and having faith that if they dream it they can achieve it.
With bullies being present in school, it’s sad that many coaches (and I am not referring to any that I know of in our area) but there are coaches who are so focused on winning that it doesn’t bother them to turn into bullies in their own right pushing kids away from sports.
Shame on them, especially in the day and time that we live when these young people need sports to keep them out of trouble and to feel that they are truly part of a team.
To Dr. Wandell’s family, I personally say thank you for sharing him with us. I consider myself to be a better individual because of the times that I have witnessed his continued support of his kids from East Side and his beloved Cyclones.
I can only hope that many young people have buried his message in their hearts and continue to march forward to those goals they have set and never let fear turn them to the right or to the left but that their focus will remain strong and true.
Faith>Fear is a message that we all need to forever remember and each time we do, let’s say a special thanks God who allowed Dr. Josh Wandell to leave that lasting legacy during the last few years of his life here on Earth.
Until we meet again Josh!
