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(Russell) Wilson told a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter about how faith helped him deal with the death of his father, Harrison Wilson III in 2010, who had been suffering from diabetes and several strokes.
The date was June 9, the day after Russell Wilson was drafted by the (Major League Baseball team, the Colorado) Rockies. He went to share the news with his father.
"My grandmother and I went there and we started praying," Russell Wilson said. "He was non-responsive."
Undaunted, Russell Wilson told his father about being drafted by the Rockies. He eventually stepped out into the hallway, along with his grandmother and mother.
Mother and son stepped aside and started talking privately, for about 15 minutes.
Russell Wilson finished the story:
"We were just standing there and all of a sudden it clicked," he said. "The Holy Spirit was telling us to go in there. So we went in the room and - this is the crazy part.
"I walked in and I could see the (EKG) monitor. As soon as I walked in the door I said: 'Hey, Dad, I'm here.'
"As soon as I said that, the line went flat. That's how I knew the Lord is real. I knew my dad heard me and he could hear everything I was telling him about how I got drafted. He was waiting for something great to happen.
"That's how I knew he went in peace. He is here watching me right now."
The faith and football of Russell Wilson
For me generally it had always been the big four: faith, family, friends, and football. . . . as important as football is to me, it can never be higher than fourth. My faith has been number one since I was thirteen years old . . .
Some players get more vocal about it . . . and some point to Heaven after scoring a touchdown and praise God after games. I have no problem with that. But I don’t do it, and don’t think it makes me any less a Christian. I just want my actions to speak louder, and I don’t want to be more of a target for criticism . . .
My faith doesn’t make me perfect, it makes me forgiven, and provides me the assurance I looked for half my life ago. . .
I’ve been blessed—having so little go wrong in my life, and being given so much. I pray every night, sometimes long prayers about a lot of things and a lot of people, but I don’t talk about it or brag about it because that’s between God and me, and I’m no better than anybody else in God’s sight.
But I consider myself fortunate to be able to go to Him for guidance, and I hope (and pray) I don’t do too many things that displease Him. . . . I believe, too, that life is much better and freer when you’re committed to God in that way.
~Peyton Manning
