All-American Johnny (Video)

Posted on 13. Apr, 2013 by Williiam in Uncategorized

I met Johnny when he was 18 years old. He had just graduated from High School, in a small Arkansas town, where he had been a High School football All-American. Johnny had it made. He had everything the world says it takes to be happy. He was good-looking, he was smart, he was popular and he was a football hero.

Johnny was selected to play in the All-Star game in Little Rock. He played and was a big success. He had scholarship offers from around the country. But, Johnny had a girl friend who was a year behind him in school. They were engaged to be married. So, Johnny wanted to attend college near his home town so he could visit his fiancee on the weekends.

Johnny chose a small school called, Arkansas A&M. He became a big success. By the fifth game of his freshman year, he was playing regularly on a defense that was ranked number 5 in the nation. Johnny had it made. He had everything. He was good-looking, he was smart, he was popular and he was a football hero.

When the first semester came to an end, Johnny went home for the Christmas holidays. Over the holidays, Johnny and his fiancee got into a big argument, and she broke off the engagement. Johnny became very discouraged and depressed.

To hide his hurt and depression, Johnny did what a lot of people do, he began to drink.

When school started again, Johnny continue to drink. He would get drunk each night, stay out late and return to the dormitory in the wee hours of the morning. He began to skip classes. He skipped so many classes, he got put on academic probation. He was drinking so much, he even skipped some spring training football practices. He lost his football scholarship.

For the first time in his life Johnny was failing! Johnny had never failed at anything.

So, Johnny made a fateful decision. He said, “You know, college is not for me”. Johnny dropped out of college and joined the United States Marine Corps.

While waiting for his induction day, Johnny spent his time drinking with his old high school buddies. They would buy a case of beer each night, drive around town, get drunk and talk about the “good old days”.

One night, Johnny did something unusual. He took his buddies home early and continued to drive around town by himself. He drove to his former fiancee’s house. It was late at night; all the light were off. Johnny just sat there. He finished off that last can of beer.

Then Johnny got out of his car. He walked around to the trunk. He opened the trunk and took out a garden water hose. He put one end of that hose into the exhaust pipe of his car and took the other end and put it through the rear window. He rolled the glass up to hold it into place.

Johnny got back into the car. He started the engine. He sat there and allowed the car to fill up with carbon-monoxide poison.

And All-American Johnny killed himself.

Now, that happened a long time ago. But, I remember it like it was yesterday. Because, Johnny was a friend of mine.

And for all these years, I have ask myself: “How in the world could something like that happen?” How could a boy with everything the world says it takes to be happy, come to a place in his life, where he did not want to go on living anymore?

Suicide is the number two killer of teenagers in America. The only thing that kills more teenagers than suicide is drunk driving.

We live in the greatest country the world has ever known. We have more freedom, money, opportunity and recreation than at any time in history. And, yet we have more unhappy people than ever before. What’s the problem?

Well, the Bible gives us the answer.

The Bible teaches that we are born with a heart problem. We are born with an empty spot in our heart that keeps us from being what God wants us to be. This emptiness keeps us from real joy, real peace and a true relationship with God.

We know something is missing, so, we try to fill this emptiness up with the things of the world. We say to ourselves, “if I can just fill this emptiness up, then I’ll be happy”. We try to fill it with money, or fame, or sex or whatever the world says it takes to be happy. But, it never works.

Because, that empty spot in your heart is a God-shaped vacuum. It was created by God and it was created for God. And you’re never going to be happy, you’re never going to have peace and joy, you’re never going to have a right relationship with God and you’re never going to make it to heaven, until you turn from the things of the world and put God in that place that He created just for Himself. It’s called being “born again”.

The only way to do that, is through Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son. Jesus said, “I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE: no man comes to the Father but by me“. John 14:6

The Bible says, “Repent and Believe The Gospel (the good news)”. Mark 1:15