The Oldest Manning Brother

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice (Ephesians 4:31).

Growing up in North Mississippi, I idolized Archie Manning. He was from the little town of Drew, MS, which gave all of the small town boys (like me) hope that someday we could make it to the big time.

While I was too young to remember when he was the Quarterback at Ole Miss, I was a New Orleans Saints fan. So, every Sunday we hurried home after church to watch Archie QB the Saints. They always seemed to be able to find a unique and creative way to lose, but it was never Archie's fault. All my life I heard, "If Archie just had someone to block for him, the Saints would win the Super Bowl every year."

So, I, like most Mississippians, claim Peyton and Eli as Mississippians. Even though they were raised in Louisiana, they have Mississippi blood in their viens. Their mother is from Philadelphia, MS.

Interestingly, this morning I came across a article about the oldest Manning brother. His name is Cooper. While I knew of him, I was not familiar with his story. I had heard he was a football player, but thought he had been hurt after playing at Ole Miss. However, the truth is, according to the article, Cooper was an All-State receiver in Louisiana and was headed to play at Ole Miss. Unfortunately, due to Spinal Stenosis, Cooper's football career was cut short. He never wore a Rebel uniform. Now, he is an executive in New Orleans, dealing with gas and oil stocks.

The article I read had a quote from Eli I thought was special. Referring to the manner in which Cooper has handled his misfortunes, Eli said, ""He's done a lot better than Peyton or I could have done with it."

We all face unexpected hurdles in life. Unconscoiously, our lives are sort of mapped out in the back of our minds. We have a "future story" already written and it has a "happily ever after ending." But, when the script is changed by a traumatic event, who we really are is exposed. We can become bitter and mad at the world. Yet, bitterness slowly kills us inside. While it is difficult, we must forget the past and make the most of the future. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "Put away bitterness."

We must forgive those who have hurt us and move on to make the most of the unexpected present. As Paul wrote to the Philippians, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Phil. 4:13)." We can handle whatever is thrown our way.

Are you bitter about something? Why not deal with that bitterness today? Turn it over. God can handle it.

Read the article about Cooper Manning here.