Donte Stallworth has been suspended…literally

Donte Stallworth plays professional football in the NFL but on March 14, 2009 he drove under the influence of alcohol and struck and killed a 59 year-old man. Today Stallworth was suspended without pay for the entire 2009 season but will be reinstated after the Superbowl in 2010. That means Stallworth gets about 6-7 months to feel the pain of having something you love taken from you. There’s the sting of financial lack (unless his agent floats him and/or he’s well invested for this rainy day), the agony of reflecting upon his careless indiscretion and the loss of credibility in the eyes of fickle fans who are quick to praise and even quicker to condemn.

So now Stallworth is suspended, suspended in mid-air so-to-speak like Michael Vick (served 2 years in prison for dog-fighting) and Rick Pitino (The Louisville Basketball coach who recently went public about cheating on his wife and five kids). When you’re suspended, you’re aimless and without a clear direction. And the professional athletes aren’t the only ones who experience a season of ambiguity. I remember being 21, recently graduated and “suspended” because I wanted to play basketball. Imagine that you’ve had a complete basketball season to look forward to every year for 10-12 years and then…NOTHING! What do you do during the suspension of nebulous activity? You try to prepare for something you’re not sure will happen, raise your fist in disdain because you feel cursed or maybe you reflect and realize that there is wisdom in the journey that can be shared with 99% of the people on the planet.

Stallworth will never drive again but he’ll play football as will likely Michael Vick. Pitino will continue to coach the University of Louisville largely due to the fact that he was somewhat forthcoming about his extramarital affair. You? You’re different. You probably won’t have your cake and eat it too. Chances are that if you made a mistake like theirs, it would cost you so much more. As it stands, the thing that has you “suspended” is an injury, or criticism or a bad review. You want to continue on the trajectory (path) you’ve chosen for yourself but now it’s in question. Just know that the thing you love can never be taken away from you if you look for God to show you how your story can benefit both you and others. Only one condition…BE READY TO GROW UP!