Front and Center

I just finished watching "Front and Center" a movie about a boy with Terets Syndrome that grew up to be the First Year Year Teacher of the Year for Georgia.

It dealt with the hurdles he had to overcome both as a child and as an adult. The greatest hurdle was the lack of acceptance by others.

As large of a problem as this is, I think that often the lack of acceptance of ourselves is an even larger problem. It often seems as though we put our lives on hold until we can find that one piece of the puzzle we feel is missing. That could be education, signifigant other, new job, more money, etc...

The true fact is that none of those things change the core of who we are. After much growing and learning, I have found that who I am needs to be complete and the people I add to my life need to compliment it. I have found that education can make your life different and give you opportunities that are not open to everyone. Money can also make our lives easier but not necessarily better.

I was talking with a friend who has been married and divorced twice. He called himself a two time loser. I felt like a loser for years, after my divorce, as well. Then I stopped to look at the things that I gained as opposed to the things that I had lost. This is certainly not to say that I don't wish that my marriage hadn't worked out, because I do. It is not how it worked out so I have to move forward.
For many years it was too risky to trust others and to let people in to my world. It was not a good way to live. I missed some great friends that passed through and I wasn't willing to accept for fear that they would reject me later.

How many times do we miss the direction God has planned for us because we are too scared to take a chance? Charles Swindoll asked the question, "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" It has given me a lot of room for thought and some new avenues to explore. What would you do?