Quiet Strength (36 page)

“But those things you were telling us—those things are the reason I’m married today and why my kids are doing so well. Some of those things just made no sense to me at the time, but they make sense now.

“I can’t thank you enough for staying on me.”

The next time I would see Regan was at our hotel the night before the Super Bowl. Tarik Glenn, our Pro Bowl offensive tackle, had been Regan’s teammate at the University of California, and Regan had come to see him play. Once again, Regan thanked Lauren and me for the example we had been to him and then joined Tarik at our chapel service. I could really see a difference in Regan—ten years after missing those appearances at that fourth-grade class.

Lauren has a friend whose brother watched the Super Bowl from his home in Michigan. He does construction work and had been wrestling for some time with a feeling that he should do something to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

He listened to Jim Irsay speak during the trophy presentation about the Florida tornado victims of 2007 and the fact that the Colts shouldn’t—and wouldn’t—celebrate without reaching out to those who were hurting. Then he heard me talk about trying to do things the Lord’s way. He felt moved to act. He placed his house on the market and sold it in one day. He is now living in Biloxi, Mississippi, working full-time to rebuild that area, helping one family at a time.

I had the priviledge of speaking at the Tampa Bay Festival with Luis Palau a month after the Super Bowl. Even though I had been gone from the Buccaneers for five years, I was presented with a key to the city. It was a thrill to accept that key—again in the rain—but even more of a thrill to watch so many young people dedicate their lives to Christ at the festival.

When it was over, I headed back to Tampa International Airport to wait for my flight back to Indianapolis. I found myself in the middle of a big group of Colts fans, and everyone wanted to talk about the Super Bowl, get autographs, and take pictures. However, there was one woman who waited until we were ready to board the plane before she approached. She told me that she felt she had something of a connection with me.

“My best friend had a baby in Indianapolis recently, and your sister, Lauren, was her doctor.”

“My sister is really good,” I said.

“No, no—your sister is
tremendous,
” she said.

I nodded.

She continued, “When my friend’s baby was born, his esophagus was not attached to his stomach. It didn’t look like he was going to make it. Your sister not only treated him, she prayed with the family, gave them books on prayer, and spent a lot of extra time with them. The baby’s doing well now, and they are so grateful—not just for the medical attention but also for what she meant to them emotionally and spiritually through it all.”

At that moment, I was prouder of being Lauren’s brother than coach of the Colts.

That’s what this is all about. Touching lives. Building a legacy—not necessarily on the field but in those places that most people will never see. Trying to be faithful in the position God has given me. I love coaching football, and winning a Super Bowl was a goal I’ve had for a long time. But it has never been my purpose in life.

My purpose in life is simply to glorify God. We have to be careful that we don’t let the pursuit of our life’s goals, no matter how important they seem, cause us to lose sight of our
purpose
.

I coach football. But the good I can do to glorify God along the way is my real purpose. I want to help people see the path to eternal life through Christ, to enjoy an abundant life now, and to fulfill their God-given purposes here.

We are all role models to someone in this world, and we can all have an impact—for good.