A Few Seconds of Panic

I just finished reading "A Few Seconds of Panic" by Stefan Fatsis, I really really enjoyed the book. Fatsis had the opportunity to live the dream that many of boys dream of; he was a player on a professional sports team. While never truly being on the roster, Fatsis goes through the rigors of a NFL training camp as a kicker with the Denver Broncos and becomes a part of their team. He is definitely an athlete as he becomes a seemingly effective kicker from inside 40 yards but the great part of the story was getting to know his teammates.

One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that these professional football players, who many of us would want to switch places with, were questioning their career/job choice as much as I have since high school. Most of the players had become apathetic to the NFL and to football but continued to play because it was what they built their entire lives around. When following professional athletes, I never thought about them struggling with the questions of whether or not playing sports was their "calling".

This encouraged me that no matter who we are, we are going to run into difficulties determining our unique callings on this earth. Even the most gifted professional athletes were struggling with this question. Christian books have attempted to "answer" these question all the time and usually end up saying there is no answer. This is why the book is so great because Fatsis was able to get inside the professional athlete's heart and give us the chance to see them as human beings. Who have questions just like us.