For the first 20 years of his life, Travis Roy was an accomplished hockey player with the world at his fingertips. All he wanted to be was a hockey player. Everything else fell secondary. Travis received a scholarship to Division I hockey-powerhouse Boston University. In the first game of his freshman season, he received an opportunity to play. Within 11 seconds, his career and hockey career was over. Travis was the victim of a freak accident, leaving him paralyzed for the rest of his life.
A Sudden Slow Change
How often does life suddenly change direction in your life? Things are going one way, only for the bottom to fall out. I believe it is during these times when God is trying to tell us that we need to recalibrate and refocus our lives. Unfortunately change has a way of happening quickly, but progressing very slowly. I am sure that Travis wanted to get back into a pair of skates again as quickly as possible, but time was needed to change his heart, mind, and behavior.
We have a natural affinity to devote our time, efforts, and attention towards ourselves or others. Some of us naturally focus on others and neglect ourselves, while others focus on themselves more than others. When a sudden change occurs, we want change to happen now! Unfortunately, that is not how life works. The very worst things in our lives are often the most necessary to change the trajectory of your life.
The good news is that we can change; although the process can be painfully slow. In a recent interview I watched, Travis admitted that he was not the type of person that he wanted to be at 20 years old. He knew that there was more to life, but his accident helped him see this.
I was touched by his desire to want more for his life and for others. It's hard to not succumb to bitterness in the midst of such difficulties, but Travis had a desire to make more of an impact. He had every right to be bitter towards the cards he was dealt by life, but his desire to become a better person outweighed his anger.
He desired to be more than "just a hockey player" and wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. With this passion in mind, he created the Travis Roy Foundation, a foundation designed to change the lives of spinal-injury victims, through raising money for research and grants. The organization inspires, raises awareness, and gives hope to thousands of spinal-injury victims and their families.
Conclusion:
Travis's story is an inspiration to all of us on how we must take the difficult seasons in our lives and create something positive from it. We all have mistakes and skeletons in our closets; however, it is up to us to begin the process of change. It may not become as fast as we would like, but through time we can begin to change - only if our hearts are in the right place. If we truly want to move forward, we need to change our hearts, thoughts, and behaviors.
See more about Travis' story below:
The good news is that we can change; although the process can be painfully slow. In a recent interview I watched, Travis admitted that he was not the type of person that he wanted to be at 20 years old. He knew that there was more to life, but his accident helped him see this.
I was touched by his desire to want more for his life and for others. It's hard to not succumb to bitterness in the midst of such difficulties, but Travis had a desire to make more of an impact. He had every right to be bitter towards the cards he was dealt by life, but his desire to become a better person outweighed his anger.
He desired to be more than "just a hockey player" and wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. With this passion in mind, he created the Travis Roy Foundation, a foundation designed to change the lives of spinal-injury victims, through raising money for research and grants. The organization inspires, raises awareness, and gives hope to thousands of spinal-injury victims and their families.
Conclusion:
Travis's story is an inspiration to all of us on how we must take the difficult seasons in our lives and create something positive from it. We all have mistakes and skeletons in our closets; however, it is up to us to begin the process of change. It may not become as fast as we would like, but through time we can begin to change - only if our hearts are in the right place. If we truly want to move forward, we need to change our hearts, thoughts, and behaviors.
See more about Travis' story below:
