Running For My Life

A couple of weeks ago I finished reading Warrick Dunn's Running For My Life. I was excited about reading this book after seeing a segment on the Today show about Dunn. You may have read my post regarding this a few months ago. There were some parts of the book that were slow to me, but overall, it was very refreshing.

The book chronicles Dunn's journey from high school to the NFL. I am not a football fan and do not understand the mechanics of the game. Dunn talks a lot about games and plays. These parts were a little slow for me, but I understand that he does this to set up the importance that football plays in his story. If I understood football, I feel certain that these parts would have been more meaningful to me.

Dunn's mother was killed when he was in high school. The opening chapter of the book lets the reader in on Dunn's visit to Angola State Prison where he meets and forgives his mother's murderer. The rest of the book leads you on his journey to that point. Dunn used football as a way to release his pain. After several years and a lot of encouragement, he also sought counseling.

Growing up very close to his single mother, he knew that he wanted to do something to help other working single mothers. Through the Warrick Dunn Foundation he does just that. His Homes for The Holidays program provides a down payment and home furnishings for single moms. He is also a founding member of Athletes for Hope, an organization where professional athletes serve as mentors to help new pros find ways to reach out to their communities.

The more that I read, I knew that Dunn had to be a Christian. Everything that he was doing was screaming Christ to me. He would often mention the faith of his mother and grandmother and how that affected him. One part particularly stood out to me. When speaking about being a role model this was said: "Because I have been able to build a reputation as a talented player, I have been able to build futures. Because I am able to play, I am able to make a difference. Because I have been blessed with a talent, I also have been given a responsibility." That is not a responsibility that he takes lightly!

Dunn makes it quite clear that he does not need flashy things and expensive houses. He knows how to live simply and chooses to use his wealth to give from his heart. One of the final chapters of the book is devoted to his faith. He openly talks about his relationship with Christ and how that has shaped everything that he does. Despite the losses in his life, he knows that he is blessed and is determined to share that blessing.

Though I wanted to know early on about his faith, I think it is very fitting the way he added it in to the book. This book was not marketed to Christian audiences. Someone who is not interested in his faith may have put the book down very quickly had pushed his faith early on. Instead, he (in a sense) lives out a life a faith in front of these people and then in the end explains why.

This was a great book and Warrick Dunn is one of the few athletes who truly deserves to be a role model. This is one man any mother would be happy for her child to strive to imitate.