Week Devo 33 | Pro Day

NFL athlete and real estate agent Nick Ralston has an amazing story about how he made it to the NFL, and how his faith in God and hard work helped him overcome the obstacles in his life to make it to the best football league in the world.

Nick was a star running back at Argyle High School (a small town west of Dallas) in Texas before going to play college football at Arizona State and Louisiana-Lafayette. At the end of his college career, he was in the middle of preparing for an NFL Pro Day in 2020 when the Covid pandemic hit and forced him to cancel his Pro Day, derailing all of his plans. His opportunity to work out in front of NFL teams was immediately ruined and taken away from him, and so were his NFL dreams. Instead of joining an NFL team, Nick moved to New York following a relationship that eventually didn't work out, and suddenly this former Texas high school football star was stuck in New York with no real options.

He had every reason to give up on everything, but instead of quitting, something switched in him. Nick said that he would not let his struggles define him and he went to work. He moved back in with his parents and worked out 4,5,6 hours a day for 10 months while getting his real estate license. He didn't even want to keep going, but his dad told him to see it through, to keep his hope alive, and to keep working.

The next year, he finally had his Pro Day and there was only one Dallas Cowboy scout there; but that scout really liked him. This scout went to Arizona State and had kids who grew up in Argyle as well. Nick said, "It's just a crazy God thing. That's just how God works sometimes." God took him out of a certain situation and put in him an environment where He was able to shape Nick and prepared him for what was to come, and God just told him, "Go to work." Nick said it was his faith, his work ethic, and his grit that pulled him out of rock bottom. Nick said:

"We all share adversity, and we are all either going into a storm, in a storm or coming out of the storm. There are things that can help us get out of terrible situations. There is a test to the testimony. There is a test that you have to pass if you want to reap what you sow. God's ways are higher, and He has a plan for you. If you have faith the size of a mustard seed and you tell the mountain to move, it will move for you, and nothing will be impossible for you. Always have faith that things are going to work out."

Nick said that God left bits of hope throughout his career that inspired him to keep going. He had a group of four or five coaches along the way who told him they believed in him. Those coaches encouraged him, taught him, and planted seeds of hope within him. 

The power of a coach and seeds of hope help us get through even the toughest circumstances.

We all have adversity. We all face storms. Adversity and storms are parts of life. We are defined by the obstacles, adversity, and storms we face in life. Two of the most important questions in life are:

1 - HOW will you get through the storm?

2 - WHO will you become at the end of the storm?

Will you go through the storm depressed, beaten, and feeling sorry for yourself, or will you go through the storm with love, joy, peace, and energy and enthusiasm?

When you come out of the storm, will you be broken, bitter, or better?

The choice is yours. Nick said he was so broken down that he had to live with positive podcasts playing in his ears. He had to feed himself positive energy all day because the second he didn't, negativity and the devil attacked him.

Jesus said in John 10:10, the thief, the devil, comes to steal kill, and destroy, but Jesus came so that we could have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance, to the full, until it overflows. But we have to fight for it. It starts with having faith. In Matthew 13, Jesus teaches a series of parables. In Matthew 13:31-32, he tells the parable of the Mustard Seed:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."

A small bit of faith and hard work can go a long way. Nick was down and out. He had every reason to quit, but he didn't. He leaned on his support system around him, he worked hard, he fed his mind, thoughts and soul positive podcasts like Jon Gordon and Ed Mylet, and he kept his faith in God. Because he had the faith of the mustard seed, he became successful, and like the tree growing big and tall enough for the birds of the air to come and nest in its branches, we are able to learn and grow and use Nick's story for good.

Nick was recently cut from the Dallas Cowboys, but I have faith and belief that Nick is going to find success and joy in life because of the man he has become.

THIS WEEK

1 - What is one obstacle in your way that you need to beat?

2 - What is one thing that you can do or listen to or read that can fill your mind, heart, and soul with positive energy and positive thoughts to keep you inspired and motivated?

3 - What is going to be your biggest hurdle to beating this obstacle?

4 - Who is someone who can help you overcome this hurdle, or what is something that you can do to overcome this hurdle?

I plan on taking gratitude/prayer walks every morning, and writing three positive things in my journal every morning and night. Science shows that doing these two things can increase your overall happiness.

Good luck this week, and I pray that you are happier and full of more hope at the end of the week!

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Pro Day