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All tagged Bible Story
It is something that cannot be fixed with a dose of Advil, a good night of sleep or a quick visit to the doctor.
It is always there, always debilitating, and always a challenge.
Can you relate?
I never donned a dance leotard, ballet slippers, gymnast suit, or cheerleader uniform.
No, I was more comfortable in boots, brushing ponies, and riding in a dusty arena.
I did try gymnastics lessons once, though.
Quickly, I realized it wasn’t for me.
In an attempt to find an excuse to gracefully bow out of the sport, I told my parents that I didn’t want to do gymnastics anymore because my instructor had a ponytail…it was the logic of a 5-year-old, but it worked!
So, I never learned how to do a cartwheel, stand on my hands, or be flexible.
In fact, I will be saying “I do” in just 3 days!
Throughout our engagement, Seth and I have learned a lot about each other.
As we have spent more time together, endured the stress of planning a wedding, suffered personal losses, and explored the foundation of our relationship in pre-marital counseling, the good and the not-so-good parts of both of us have been revealed.
How many times in a day do you catch yourself using “I” phrases? Don’t worry, you are not alone. I am definitely guilty of dwelling on myself quite a bit throughout the day. My problems. My worries. My plans. My accomplishments. How often, though, do we take the time to reflect on the world around us?
Reading Psalm 104 gives us a great opportunity to do just that.
Now, however, armed with the word of God, we are ready to take up the offense and fight.
One of the reasons that I love the Disney Parks so much is that there is just something so magical about seeing a previously 2-dimensional story come to life before me in 3- dimensional real-life action!
The motion that you are up against something much bigger than yourself is enough to leave you feeling hopeless, scared, and, in my case, quite literally shaking in my boots.
When I was a freshman in college, a couple of years before I lost my sight, I was a member of my school’s equestrian team.
At the end of that first season, to my amazement, I qualified for the biggest competition of the year…nationals. I had ridden horses since I was very young, but I had never competed at such a high level.
When I first arrived at the huge arena and saw all of the talent and athleticism around me, I’ll admit, I felt out of my element, overwhelmed, and scared. Sure, I had earned my spot there just like the rest of the riders, but the irrational intimidation that I felt made me feel as though I was destined for failure.
It is something that cannot be fixed with a dose of Advil, a good night of sleep or a quick visit to the doctor.
It is always there, always debilitating, and always a challenge.
Can you relate?
And I definitely have not been disappointed!
I feel so much more confident traveling independently with my boy by my side. However, I also knew that having a guide dog would come with its challenges and occasional hardships.
Having a dog is very different from simply walking with a white cane.
For one thing, when you have a dog, you are responsible for a living, breathing animal. This means that, on occasion, they will become sick and need a day or two off of work.
The day when we get to stuff ourselves with turkey, dressing, and sweet potato casserole while being surrounded by family and friends. I honestly cannot think of anything better!
I love Thanksgiving for several reasons.
First, I get to visit with family who I don’t get to see that often.
Second, it means that Christmas is right around the corner.
Third, the food!!!
Fun fact: I actually love Thanksgiving food so much that I had it served at my wedding reception. My favorite? Sweet potato casserole!
The trainers would set up traffic cones, large solid barriers, and other objects on the sidewalk to block our path.
The dogs are trained to stop in front of the obstacle, and then as a team, the dog and handler are to decide the best way to work around the object.
The first few times Jackson and I worked on this task; it was pretty much a disaster. I would give him the wrong command and completely confuse him. Or he would take matters into his own paws, guiding me on his own “creative” path around the obstacle.
It took a lot of practice, trust, and teamwork for us to finally become comfortable working together around these unexpected barriers.
It can be difficult for me to take the advice of others. In fact, sometimes I will even seek out affirmation over advice because I know it will be much easier to swallow.
My mom may critique an outfit down to the color of the thread if I ask her opinion, whereas it can be easier to just ask my husband who will always say, ”You look great, honey!”
If I send a blog post for revision to my editor, Erica, she will probably knit-pick it to death, whereas someone else would say, “This is great work!”
You get my point, it can seem easier and better for our ego to ask for advice from someone who will agree with what we have already decided, but this way of thinking doesn’t always lead to the best outcome.
In the blink of an eye, my collegiate equestrian career, my senior year of college, my health, and life as I knew it disappeared.
In the days, weeks, and months that followed, I faced one hard situation after another as I learned to live again in darkness.
It definitely felt like everything was falling apart, and I struggled to understand Where God was and what he was doing through it all.
One of those “between a rock and a hard place” kind of circumstances that just seem impossible to wriggle out of.
Let’s face it, some problems that we find ourselves faced with are simply impossible for us to change, no matter how hard we try.
As much as I wish I could, I cannot bring my sight back.
It is a circumstance that I cannot change and if I’m being honest, this makes me pretty angry at times.
Ria Story, a leadership speaker, trainer, and author, says, “We cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to it.”
Have you ever looked at the world around you and simply wondered, “Why?”
Why is such a young person suffering from cancer?
Why is there so much trash on the television?
Why, when I turn on the news, is there yet another deadly tragedy?
Sometimes, all of the evil negativity that surrounds us can make it easy to also say, “Why would God allow this? Or even, “Why are you doing this God?”
Over the past six years, while struggling with my sight loss, I have been very tempted to question God.
Maybe you moved to a new town, started a new job, or transferred to a new school.
Whatever the situation may be, when you are learning to live in a new place, literally or figuratively, it can be unfamiliar, unsettling, and scary.
First, there was the obvious way in which I had to learn to live again…figuring out how to do everything without my sight.
To say it was challenging would be an understatement, and to say that I have learned everything there is to know about living with blindness would be untrue.
The idea of being able to retreat into the depths of the ocean and explore all of the sea life, caverns, and underwater treasures in real-life color always seemed fascinating to me.
When I was 20 years old, I actually got the chance…kind of.
Yes, it was actually an elective course that was offered at my school. We were supplied with wet suits, goggles, flippers, and oxygen tanks as we learned all of the ins and outs of becoming a diver.
While it was a lot of fun, I definitely was not prepared for how challenging it would be, both mentally and physically!
In fact, I will be saying “I do” in just 3 days!
Throughout our engagement, Seth and I have learned a lot about each other.
As we have spent more time together, endured the stress of planning a wedding, suffered personal losses, and explored the foundation of our relationship in pre-marital counseling, the good and the not-so-good parts of both of us have been revealed.
I never donned a dance leotard, ballet slippers, gymnast suit, or cheerleader uniform.
No, I was more comfortable in boots, brushing ponies, and riding in a dusty arena.
I did try gymnastics lessons once, though.
Quickly, I realized it wasn’t for me.
In an attempt to find an excuse to gracefully bow out of the sport, I told my parents that I didn’t want to do gymnastics anymore because my instructor had a ponytail…it was the logic of a 5-year-old, but it worked!
So, I never learned how to do a cartwheel, stand on my hands, or be flexible.
