The Saving of the Magician

No fan of the Philadelphia Eagles was happy this past week, as the team traded fan favorite player, Long Snapper/Magician Jon Dorenbos. Up until this past year, no one outside of Philadelphia would have known who he was. He plays one of the most seemingly insignificant positions on the football field. But he was a leader in the community and in the locker room. When he went on America's Got Talent and showcased his skills as a magician, along with telling his story, the whole country knew his name. Jon had a rotten childhood- he testified in the trial of his father's murder of his mother when he was twelve years old! But he pushed through all of that. Magic and football became safe havens for him. He signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent and spent some time with the Tennessee Titans before signing on with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2006, where he has been playing and performing ever since.

Fast-forward to August 2017. The Eagles trade Dorenbos to the New Orleans Saints for a 7th round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Outrage ensues. People were flooding social media with questions like, "Why did we trade this leader in our locker room?" and "Why did we only get a 7th rounder for him?" All signs pointed to him losing his job as long snapper, but Eagles fans didn't care. We loved this guy. He was the longest tenured Eagles player at 15 years of service for them. We loved his magic, his humor, his story, his commitment. But that all went away in a matter of moments.

Now, on Friday, September 8, 2017, we hear more news from Jon Dorenbos. After a follow-up physical to the one Dorenbos took to complete the trade, the Saints announced that Dorenbos has an aortic aneurysm. He will require open heart surgery that will end his season, and could possibly end his career. 

Would the doctors have caught this at a routine physical at the Eagles facility? Probably not. The Saints were doing checks on him as he was a new player and that is why they caught it. This trade, while Eagles fans have hated it, saved their magician's life!

Just as Eagles fans (myself included) did not understand this trade when it took place, it was done for a purpose. Did Coach Doug Pederson of the Eagles know of an aortic aneurysm when he made this trade? He says he did not. I don't believe that General Manager Howie Roseman did either. But God worked the timing of this trade out so that the doctors would find this major health issue in this man.

I don't know if Jon Dorenbos is a Christian or not. But I do know this: God is working in our lives the same way he has worked in this situation. It may not be something as life threatening as an aortic aneurysm. It may be His simply helping a student bring a D up to C in a class or leading us to that special someone when we had no idea who that person was before that day. One of the most quoted verses on this is Romans 8:28 -- "For all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." When we love God, when we exhibit a lifestyle that is responding to His calling, He will help all things -- the good, the bad, the ugly -- work together for good. All of the circumstances in our life will come together and work out His plan. His will.