When Plans Break, Purpose Shows Up

Your plan can be solid, your effort can be real, and life can still pull the rug out from under you. Today I tell the story of Jared Wallace, a standout Georgia runner with Olympic dreams who suddenly faces Compartment Syndrome, repeated surgeries, infections, and the unthinkable decision to amputate his leg. If you’ve ever watched a goal slip away because of health, circumstances, or one brutal turn you never saw coming, this short episode meets you right where you are.

What moves me most is what happens next. Jared gets fitted with a prosthetic and refuses to let loss have the final word. He trains, competes, and earns a spot on the American Paralympic team, only to experience a fresh wave of disappointment in London in 2012 when the relay finishes third and gets disqualified. Sitting in frustration, he asks God what the purpose is behind the trials, and he senses a message that reframes everything: he has an amazing story to share, because more people relate to a stumble than a medal.

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Transcript

A Five-Minute Morning Start

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Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mack. I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day. So grab your cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and let me help you start your day right.

A Georgia Runner Chasing Olympics

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Back in the spring of 2006, a young man by the name of Jared Wallace was one of the best runners in the entire state of Georgia. He had won several championships and was looking forward to trying out for the American Olympic team. This was his goal, to be an Olympian for the United

Compartment Syndrome And Amputation

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States. However, later that year he began to get some funny reactions in his leg. It began to not feel right, and he was eventually diagnosed with what they call compartment syndrome, which is damage to the muscle and nerves in the leg. He went through several surgeries, he had some problems with some infections and some other issues as these surgeries were being done. And eventually in 2010, he was told that the only hope for his leg was to amputate it. So later that year he had his eleventh surgery to remove his leg. They were able to save the knee joint, but from just below the knee down, his leg was removed. Shortly afterwards he had another surgery to fit him for his prosthetic leg.

Choosing The Paralympic Path

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Jared is a fighter. He got knocked down, but sports helped him get right back up again. And he soon realized he could still run, but now he was going to run in the Paralympics. He trained hard, worked hard, and soon made his way to the American Paralympic team. He headed off to London in 2012 as part of the four by one hundred team. On the day of the race, they ran very well, and they finished third, only to find out later that they'd been disqualified because one of the runners had stepped over the line during one of the exchanges.

Disqualified, Then Called To Share

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Then that night, sitting frustrated in his room, he asked God what was his purpose behind all these trials? He said, God seemed to say to me, I've given you an amazing story. When you go back home, I want you to share this story. More people will be able to relate to a stumble than they will a medal. So Jared shared his story, and he kept running. Since that time, Jared has gone on to win many Olympic medals. In fact, he has set a 200 meter world record for Paralympics on two different occasions. Today, on the blade that now serves as his lower leg, Jared has inscribed one short phrase that tells it all. On it he has written the words I run for him. His faith is what's kept him going in the direction that he knew God had called him to be and what God called him to do.

When Setbacks Refine Your Direction

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Many times we find ourselves in the position where we have sought out things that we thought were our plans, and something devastating happens that keeps those plans from being fulfilled. We get disappointed, we get confused, and it can even get us angry at God when things seem to fall apart around us. But that old phrase of when God closes a door, he opens a window well that's not taken out of the Bible, it is a very true phrase. Because God often allow those disasters or those problems that come into our lives to shift us to a place where we can refocus on what really is important, what he really wants us to do. What he birthed inside of us, what we wanted to do, was in the right direction, but God now lets those other things refine it. He lets the problems help to clarify where we want to go and what we want to do. Very early in Jared's life he had committed himself to Jesus Christ. He knew that he wanted to live the way God wanted him to live. And he thought that it was going to be in running. He believed that God had called him to be a runner. But then those plans seemed to change, and then he realized those plans didn't change, they were just modified a bit. He decided he was going to run. He knew that whatever he did, however God was going to use him, he was going to do it the best way he could that would bring glory to God.

Psalm 143:10 And A Simple Prayer

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Psalm 143, verse 10 says, Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on level ground. Jared let God lead him in a new direction, and in doing so he was able to bring glory to God and fulfill his dreams at the same time. So, my friends, as you are facing challenges and things that are changing around you, and things are not the way that you thought they would be, or the way you were expecting them to go, my challenge today is: are you willing to say, Lord, teach me to do your will? Just show me what you want me to do, and I will follow where you lead me. Because I know that's the best way that I can go. Have a great day, my friends.

Challenge For Today And Farewell

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We'll talk again tomorrow. Thank you for listening today. And I invite you to join me Monday to Friday right here on Starting Right with Danny Mack.