Homestretch
Jason Wright
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JASON WRIGHT- #29
Height:.......... 5-10
Weight:......... 214 lbs.
Birthdate:..... 07/12/82
College:......... Northwestern University
Team:............Cleveland Browns
Position:.........Running Back
NFL Experience:......3 yrs. |
I grew up in Southern California without many spiritual influences other than my mother and grandmother. Even early on, it was difficult for me to see my need for God because everything was going well in football.
Things started to change when I went to college at Northwestern University. In football, I wasn’t the best player anymore. And Jason the Smart Kid went out the window, too. There are 7,000 smart kids at Northwestern.
Really, the only thing I had at that point was my social life. So, I tried to be everything to everybody. Every area of weakness in me grew: substance abuse, sexual sin, everything. It was really a dark place. I remember sitting on my bed at night and being totally ashamed of myself but not knowing how to fix it. I was absolutely miserable.
But God started working in my heart. He got my attention with outgoing Christians on campus, as well as through some painful trials, like the death of one of my teammates, Rashidi Wheeler, in 2001 and a bad ankle injury before my senior year.
I also started going to a new FCA Huddle on campus at that time. What struck me was how the men and women there really knew God. They talked about Him as a real person, not like some far-away distant cousin. By the spring of 2003, before my senior year, I finally gave myself to the Lord.
He has been working in me in so many ways during the last four years, especially through football. At every level—and I’m grateful for this—football has been a challenge for me. God has used it to establish that my identity is in Him and Him alone. Every training camp, He really breaks me down and reveals the dark parts of my heart so that He can establish me as a true worshipper and lover of Him.
| "What struck me was how the men and women there really knew God. They talked about Him as a real person, not like some far-away distant cousin." |
When I’m on the field, I remind myself that everything I do out there is worship to God. Every cut I make and every handoff I take is for Him. If God is pleased, that’s all that matters.
This season, one of my main goals is to trust in Him for provision. I’m getting married in March, so football takes on a bigger importance financially. It’s all about loosening my control and giving things to God.
What about you? Have you loosened the grip on your life and trusted in Jesus Christ? If not, you can do so by praying this simple prayer:
Lord, I am a sinner, and I need your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins and that He rose again. Now, I can be seen as righteous in Your eyes because of His sacrifice. I accept Jesus into my life as my Lord and Savior. Help me to become more like Him every day. 
