Brothers Keepers

Air Force Special Operations Combat Controller Jack Fanning is a hero. He survived five tours in Afghanistan. Then the unthinkable happened: his parachute failed and left him paralyzed from the neck down. Here is the amazing thing: he is not bitter. He is not blaming God. His attitude is: There is a reason for everything. He believes it was allowed to happen so he could help other Veterans who are disabled. Since he truly knows their pain, they listen to Jack.

I don’t know how I would react to such a tragedy and I pray I never have to find out, but I do know that when life smacks you in the face you have two choices:

  1. You can lay there and die, or
  2. You can get up and try.

Here are some takeaways from his testimony:

  • Be thankful for what you have, because it could be taken from you at any moment.
  • Faith in God will help you though the darkest hours you face.
  • Your faith will sustain you; lack of it will restrain you.
  • There is nothing good that comes out of remaining angry over what happened. Bitterness is a deep root that can destroy you if you let it. Get rid of the root.
  • Bad things can happen to good people, and good things can happen to bad people. Life is not fair, so don’t be surprised by it.
  • Whatever happens to you, find a way to get the focus on others. Regardless of how you feel at the moment, it is never just about you.
  • You have to believe in yourself. When the tragedy happens, your true character is revealed. When you get squeezed, what comes out? I have to admit that I am sometimes embarrassed at how I react to things. I am working on responding vs reacting.
  • Some storms you know are coming and some you don’t. Prepare for both.
  • There is life after a tragedy. Jack still shoots, hunts, scuba dives, and even jumps out of airplanes.

Jack Fanning is the real deal.

If you would like to support his organization or just learn more, go to:

http://brothers-keepers.org/jack-fanning/

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

l06.ce7.myftpupload.com

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