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Porky
His
nickname was “Porky.”
If I ever knew the origin of his nickname, I
forgot it. I
learned recently that he “received” the name at
birth. A
nurse called him “Porky Pine” at birth, and
apparently the name “Porky” stuck with him
throughout the rest of his life.
I
knew him when I was a child and lived in Stanton,
Texas, where Porky lived.
I remember him being confined to a wheelchair
and that his body was contorted and that he spoke
differently. I
imagine that his appearance was quite striking to me
as a child! But I also remember Porky to be a very kind man who greeted
me warmly when my friends and I would muster the
courage to speak to him.
As we got to know him, our greetings were
motivated more by love than by courage.
Souval
“Porky” Britton passed away on October 11, 2008,
at the age of 67.
I read about his passing in an article written
by a Gospel preacher, Rick Laing, who also knew Porky
when he preached in Stanton over a nine-year period. In his article, I was reminded of why Porky was in a
wheelchair.
“He
was driving too fast.
He was 21 and he struck an overpass support,
which put him in a coma for 9 months.
The nursing staff realized that he had come out
of that coma when they realized he was grinning at a
joke told in his presence. His
once strong and muscular body, however, was weakened
and twisted by the wreck and coma, so he was confined
to a wheelchair in a local nursing home.”
Rick
also wrote of his memory of Porky that matched my
memory of him: “His mind was bright, and he spoke
slowly, but always so cheerfully with a big grin on
his face. … In all the 9 years I knew Porky, he
NEVER changed his cheerful attitude.
NEVER!”
How
could a man with a twisted body confined to a
wheelchair maintain such a wonderful attitude?
Rick tells us how:
“He
always praised God, and thanked God for the wreck that
turned his life around.” *
WHAT?
He thanked God for the wreck that mangled his
body and put him into a coma?
Yes! Why?
Because
Porky said that it turned his life around (cf. Psalm
119:67). In
fact, he turned to God.
Based upon his repentance
toward God (Acts 17:30-31) and his confession of faith
in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31), Porky obeyed the
Gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-3).
My father, Glenn Sargent, with some assistance
from some loving brethren, baptized
(immersed) Porky’s twisted body into Christ so that his
sins could be washed away by the blood of Jesus (Acts
2:38; 22:16) and he became a Christian.
His
faith in God and the joy of being a child of God were
the keys to
his cheerful attitude.
Porky’s TRAGEDY lead to his VICTORY
in Jesus Christ
(see Romans 8:28).
God
has not promised that life will be free of
difficulty....
Jesus said, “In the world you WILL have
tribulation” (John 16:33).
But, God has promised that we can have victory
over sin and death through His Son.
His
victory in Jesus changed Porky’s ATTITUDE and his
ETERNITY. It
can change YOURS, too, IF you will give your life to
Jesus.
Won’t
YOU?
--
David
A. Sargent, Minister
Church
of Christ at Creekwood
1901
Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
*
“Thank God for My Tragedy,” a bulletin article by
Rick Laing, Minister of the Highland Village Church of
Christ, Austin, TX.
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