A hard lesson learned

Today marks the beginning of the end, the end of one of the hardest times in my young life. For all of you who don’t know I broke my leg and messed up my ankle during my first week of college. Perfect way to start off right? It’s now 15 weeks later and I’ve had two surgeries on my ankle and haven’t even taken a step with my left leg in the last three or four months. It definitely isn’t the way I planned for my college experience to begin, especially since I thrive on competition and haven’t had any in quite some time, but I must confess that I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process. At first I was really pissed. There’s no other way to describe it. For the most part I just laid around feeling sorry for myself for the first month or so. Needless to say this was some of the least productive time ever in my life. Then God challenged me to get up and do more. So I did. It hasn’t been easy to try to live a normal life but I’ve done the very best I could. I’ve learned that when disaster strikes a man learns what he’s really made of. My favorite quote from Martin Luther King Jr. describes this “the ultimate measure of a man isn’t where he stands of moments of comfort and convenience, but in moments of challenge and controversy.” (that’s probably not exactly word for word so don’t hold me to it) I’ve always loved that quote, but never really had to live it before this. I’ve also learned something about the competition that I love so much. I’m blessed just to have it. There are thousands of people my age who physically can’t play ultimate Frisbee, golf, or soccer. It’s not my job to throw a temper tantrum when I don’t score, or gloat when I do. Instead it’s my job to enjoy it and to give my teammates the credit they deserve. To anyone out there who loves to compete like I do I offer a challenge, next time you play your favorite sport don’t say a word. You can still give high fives and point and your teammates when they make a good play to show them some love, but just keep your mouth shut otherwise. You will either love it or hate it. If you love it then you know exactly what I’ve learned that little things like this should be cherished. And after all without my God given ability I wouldn’t be able to play anyway, so I guess the glory all belongs to Him.