"Fight on merry men. I am wounded but not slain. I will lie down to bleed a while, but when I have rested, I will rise to fight with you again." ~ Robin Hood
Today my dear sweet 17 year old daughter is in surgery as they insert a titanium rod in her leg. She broke both bones just below her calf during a volleyball tournament yesterday. Ironically it was the tournament of her life and she was tearing the court up! Then unexpectedly she got caught up with her teammate and boom - you could hear the snapping bones from across the court.
She was a real trooper at the scene of the injury and in spite of her pain, she never gave in to the desire to scream out. When they wheeled her from the court on the stretcher to the ambulance, a spontaneous round of applause broke out and I almost lost control of my emotions.
The prognosis is favorable and we are confident that a lot of good things will come out of this experience.
What do you do in the midst of devastation? Do you have a safe place to go where you can find the assurance that all is well? Right now we are clinging to the promise that our Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for our life and that nothing takes Him by surprise. When things happen that we think are bad, it is because we do not understand how the event either moves us in the right direction or takes us to a mental decision to place our trust more fully in Him.
When I was 17 my parents were divorced. When I was 18 I broke my ankle and missed an entire season of basketball eliminating me from contention for a scholarship to play in college. When I was 21 I dislocated my knee in a wrestling match and could no longer play football or even pass the physical to play intercollegiate sports of any kind and lost my scholarship.
That all sounds pretty bleak doesn't it? But my story is anything but sad. All of these circumstances pushed me to where I am today and gave me a far greater understanding of my God's love and His purpose for my life. These were not stumbling blocks to my happiness but stepping stones leading me to it in a most amazing way.
When you fail or are disappointed, don't succumb to the temptation to give up. Look for the answer to where these things are taking you and embrace the new opportunities with all your heart.
My prayer for my daughter and for you is that you will learn to do more than just accept what happens in your life, but that you will embrace it enthusiastically; knowing that your mental attitude makes all the difference in the effect circumstances will have on you.
"Decide to take what life throws at you and use it as a foundation on which to build your future."
