FIGHT FOR SOMETHING

There's nothing like getting the intellectual juices flowing that makes me want to blog even more. I thought I would have no time to write but I have found that I do have some time to write, and all this time on my own leaves my brain to wander. The best way for me to process something is through words...


So yesterday I found myself sitting...by myself in the Student Center. I had some time between classes so I sat at a table after buying a sandwich and began to eat. It wasn't long before I looked around and saw nearly everyone in the SC sitting with someone. I looked at my table and noticed that I was still sitting alone.

I glanced around the room some more and noticed more and more people filing in. I began to feel that feeling of despair, deep down in your stomach where you feel a little worthless. I felt alone, in a room full of people I felt really alone. I started thinking in my head the reasons as to why I was alone, to spare all readers the insight of what goes on in my head, let's just say I began to wallow in my own "self-pity" mustering up some childish ideas as to why I was still alone at my table.

It's a funny thing how conscious the Lord really is of us, and how sometimes he just blatantly slaps us in the face with a lesson He would like us to learn. At the exact moment when I was about to get up and leave the Student Center, I looked at another empty table next to mine. A woman, pulled up in her electric wheelchair. On her lap was what she managed to buy for lunch. A baked potato, and chocolate milk. I watched as she struggled to situate herself at the table, I glanced at my chair and saw that with the slight movement of my feet I could slide the chair in and out in virtually any position I wanted.

When she got settled at her table, I noticed she looked at her lap and tried to transfer the items from her lap to the table. Her right arm was useless for her as she focused her energy on the left arm, it began to flail at her side which made it difficult for her to grab hold on these items. I looked at my hands, steadily holding the sandwich as I shoved it between my lips.

After throwing her potato on the table her next task was opening it. With use of only her left arm, she flung the aluminum foil off her potato and her potato began rolling around the table. She managed to steady the potato and attempted to cut it open, pausing here and there trying to control her constant convulsions. When she finally opened the potato and put all the condiments on she began to eat. I looked at my phone and noticed that a simple act of getting situated, and preparing a baked potato had taken her 13 minutes, something that takes me less than one.

I turned and looked the other way as situations like these tend to "tug" on my heart strings. I tried to force the picture of her struggling out of my mind and then it hit me. I returned my gaze to her and began watching her eat with great difficulty.

Sometimes, in the midst of our own self-criticism the Lord always manages to teach us a lesson. At least in my case...I knew that He was attempting to teach me about gratitude and humility. I felt all my limbs a little stronger at that moment, I felt my mind clear up just a little bit more. I felt deep within my heart the gratitude that even though my problems may seem real to me, there is always someone who has it worse. Even though I wish I could take her problems away, I can't. Her problems are hers, and its the Lords way of teaching us how to adapt and be strong in our own given setting. I believe that was a tender mercy, sent to ME, to show ME how to open up my mind and heart and flood them with gratitude and appreciation for the things I do have. I may not have a table-full of friends, I may not have something to do every Friday night, but I am incredibly and unbelievably BLESSED to be here on this earth in my given situation. I am so grateful that the Lord in His wisdom blessed me with the sight of this girl that day to make me more grateful of the things I have in this world...Instead of the things that I lack.

This life is about overcoming. It's overcoming our small shortcomings and making them into great leaps of faith, and great strides of accomplishment. Our lives are for standing for something and making something great out of the imperfect pieces that we are left with.

This life is about FIGHTING for something.