Inspiration

It's late and Joann and Tag are in bed.  Something about my earlier post had my mind racing and I turned on the TV to see if I could find something to watch.  And did I ever.

One of my favorite programs is a special on ESPN called E:60, where they highlight interesting sports stories.  Often they are stories about tragedy and triumph, or beating the odds amidst seemingly insurmountable challenges.  Tonight was no different.  It was a story about a young man named Andre Lampkin, a young football running back who got a rare disease called bacterial meningitis that required him to have both hands and feet amputated.  I strongly recommend this story.  You can watch it here:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5414504

The point of this story to me was how Andre chose to react to such a terrible setback, and in doing so became a better man and an inspiration to those around him.  And now to me.

Isn't this the point of it all?  If you read any amount of scripture you quickly find that the time we spend on earth is no picnic.  It's treacherous, difficult, and puts each of us through tests we feel we cannot possibly overcome.  Job's test is only a type of the tests we all will be faced with and there's no escape.  So, then, what really matters is how we choose to respond to these tests, trials, obstacles and setbacks.

I talk a big game on this blog because I hope that someday Tag will read it and better understand what we were going through with his birth and early life.  But in reality this is the most difficult challenge I have ever personally had to face.  How can such a cute little boy have cancer?!  Then, on top of Tag's challenges, I also have my father dealing with cancer, a failed business and the corresponding economic challenges to bounce back from, all happening at the same time.  No picnic indeed.

But I love what Andre said in his interview.  He had told his mother that he wanted to commit suicide but didn't have the hands to do it.  Then he said, "I got mad at them thoughts.  I don't want to think like that.  And I just keep praying, you know.  I'm not used to being down so I'm not going to stay down."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
                                                                -- Deuteronomy 31:6