CJ2K: The Speeding Bullet
Tragic news has shocked us. Monday June 29th Chris Johnson A.K.A. CJ2K announced that he is battling ALS. Diagnosed at 39 now 40, his once superhuman body is now wheelchair bound and he is unable to speak with his own voice. He has a family that now must adjust to a new way of life, his wife, Brittany, seems to be leading the charge as his primary care giver.
CJ2K was a freak of nature. Many labeled him a track star type running back, meaning he wouldn’t be good between the tackles. That claim was somewhat justified as he broke the 40-yard dash record with a 4.24 time. But he was much more than just a track star. He was, in fact, an every down running back and he proved that in his second year in the league breaking the record for most yards from scrimmage in a single season in 2009. It was at this time that I started playing football and thus started watching.
You see I didn’t grow up watching many sports. My dad was a NASCAR fan, so I watched and still watch a ton of that, and the rest of my family all liked St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Other than that, there were no sports in the house not out of hatred, just there was no understanding. When I was in 8th grade, I had a few friends that started playing football after tackle football finally became available to us before high school. I wanted to hang out with my friends more, so I started playing. When I started playing, I understood what I was missing out on and started watching.
My Uncle Kris was living in Tennessee at the time and for a kid from a small town in southern Illinois living near poverty that was an exciting exotic place for me, so I started watching the Titans. What an exciting year to start watching. The team overall was mediocre, but Chris Johnson was on the verge of a home run every play. From there I was obsessed with Chris Johnson. I wanted dreads like him, I got his jersey, I had T-shirts, I was all in on CJ2K. On December 11th, 2011, I got to attend my first Titans game at then LP Field. I got to see my hero play in person thanks to my Uncle Kris. It was a close matchup, but the titans came up short in a 22-17 loss. Chris Johnson had an underwhelming performance, and I heard many fans groaning about how he was washed but I didn’t let the noise get to me, he was still my favorite. I remember the visceral reaction I had when the Titans cut him.
Thankfully my hope is in Christ now and not the performance of my sports because what a volatile thing to put my hope in, right? But with that hope in Christ, I know that there is so much more than this life. I know that through faith in Christ you will be renewed in heaven with a new body free of pain and suffering. My prayer is that anyone who is suffering with anything that they realize that even though it may be for the rest of this life there is an eternity and there is only one way to enjoy that and that is through faith in Jesus. In acknowledging that we are born sinners and doomed to suffer His wrath for eternity, but God came in the flesh in the form of Jesus to live a perfect and sinless life and to die as the perfect sacrifice for our sins so that through faith in Him we may be saved.
I say all of this as we see a superhuman athlete that did amazing things unable to perform simple tasks. He can’t pick up his children like he had before and it is incredibly tough to see anyone go through this. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering that everyone involved in this is going through. I say all these things as a fan but also as a fellow human. There is hope beyond this and we may suffer and struggle through this life but put your faith in Jesus and He will spare the load for you.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 ESV
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