No. 937 BE STILL & kNOW

No. 937

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

BE STILL & KNOW!

In the Bible we find these words recorded in Psalms 46:10 -- “Be Still and Know That I Am God.” Today, if you will really tune me in, I would like to share a most unusual application of this verse that has the potential to teach any of us a very important lesson.
A few weeks ago, my good friend Cliff Garrison brought a “living legend” to attend a weekly prayer breakfast at one of our local churches. If you are a basketball fan, you no doubt have heard the name Coach Don Meyer, who at the time of his retirement in 2010 had won 923 games, more than any coach in NCAA history.
Over the years, Don Meyer coached at Hamline University, David Lipscomb University (where he won a national championship in 1986), and Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. He was definitely old school, and learned his conservative values while growing up on a farm in the place of his birth, near Wayne, Neb. But one thing about his drive to succeed that was unmistakable -- he had a passion for basketball and, in time, all of his players took on his work ethic, character and the will to win. He would finish his career with an incredible record of 923 wins against only 324 losses. But more importantly, of all the young men who played for him, only one failed to graduate with a degree. In 2009, Coach Don Meyer received word that he would be honored at the ESPYs as the winner of the Jimmy V. Award for perseverance. All the celebrities were there that night in Los Angeles, and everyone else was watching the event on television.
Now that is the record, but what I wanted to share is far more important, from my perspective, than all of Don’s accomplishments in sports. Don, like most coaches who have a passion for sports, let his home life suffer, being away much of the time. When he was home, his mind was occupied on the next game, the next player he could recruit, and the next season. This all changed for Don Meyer on April 5, 2008, when the day came to take his Northern State University team on an annual retreat at a hunting lodge some 40 miles away. He was driving the lead car and apparently dozed off, drifted into the path of an oncoming semi-truck and had a tragic accident.
He was the only one hurt, suffering a badly mangled leg and serious internal injuries. After what seemed like hours, a Careflight helicopter finally arrived to take him first to St. Luke’s Hospital in Aberdeen, and then on to Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls, some 200 miles away. For the next several days it was touch and go as to whether or not he would live. He did live, but his left leg was amputated and he spent the next 55 days at the hospital. It was in these days, when he could only “Be Still and Know” that he truly came to realize how much his wife Carmen and his children Brittney, Brooke and Jerry truly loved him, as well as the entire community of Aberdeen and all of his former and current players and coaches across the country. No question about it, his life was changed forever. We should all be still and know.
You will be truly blessed if you will get this fantastic book “How Lucky You Can Be: The Story of Coach Don Meyer” by ESPN baseball analyst Buster Olney. When I read it, I cried, several times. I can’t begin to tell you how good it is. It is one of the best books I have ever read that reminded me of what is truly important in life.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a public speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034. To begin a bookcase literacy project visit www.bookcaseforeverychild.com. You won’t go wrong helping a needy child.)