Texas Football Player Shows Beautiful Faith After Horrible Injury

Apple Springs, Texas has a population somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 people. It's located about 20 miles west of Lufkin on Highway 94.

It is the home of the Apple Springs Eagles. The school district may be very small, but it rivals many larger schools with its resources, technology, quality faculty, and extracurricular and athletics opportunities.

They are proud of this, and they should be.

They should also be proud of a high school football player who suffered a spinal injury Friday night and is fighting to regain feeling in his legs.

What Happened At The Game

Apple Springs was hosting Leverett's Chapel Friday night. Nathan Smith took a hard hit while being tackled. It knocked him unconscious. When he regained consciousness Smith realized that he could not move his arms or legs.

Medical personnel immobilized him and gave him oxygen until an ambulance arrived. The ambulance transported Nathan to a local hospital. Later, he would be transported to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.

The Diagnosis

Following X-rays and imaging, it was revealed that Nathan had several broken or fractured vertebrae in his shoulder/neck area. He has regained use of his arms and has feeling throughout his upper body.

Nathan has yet to regain feeling in his legs, however, he has experienced partial feeling in his toes and feet. He has started daily physical therapy.

Nathan's Beautiful Faith

No one could blame this young man if he showed overpowering feelings of anger, frustration, fear, and/or blame. Even though there has been some progress in the past 24 hours, Nathan's prognosis remains unclear.

Instead of showing any fear and anger, Nathan posted an update on Facebook which has brought many to tears because of his kindness and beautiful display of faith in God.

For one, he was quick to tell the player who tackled him that he should not feel guilty for the hit. Nathan called it a clean, legal tackle. This speaks volumes about the character of Nathan, caring for the feelings of the other player while he lies in a hospital bed.

Regarding Nathan's faith, here's a quote from his Facebook Post:

"...I want you all to know God has me covered and it’s all his plan...we don't know what's going to happen next or what the good lord has in store for us, trust in him and let him work his miracles!"

Pray For Three Things, Please

• Pray that Nathan will make a full recovery from his injuries
• Pray that Nathan's family and friends will find the strength and support they need
• Pray that we can all follow Nathan's example of fully trusting God to lead us where His will dictates.  That faith is beautiful.

Quick note - I did not post Nathan's pictures until I received permission from his family. I did not want to cross a line of privacy, however, his family wants his story to be told...and they want as many prayers as possible.