The end of my last final of the semester today added a whole new spring to my step, but it was ride on the struggle bus getting there….
In this season of giving, the flu virus decided to stop at Youngstown State University for finals week. It paid me a rather nasty visit at 1AM Tuesday morning. It was as if everything inside my body had finalized plans for a massive exodus and things were now underway. We learned in class that the human body is comprised of about 60% water, which I never batted an eye at until it all started to leave.
It was a rough day and part of the reason it was rough was because I wasn’t home.
This may sound crazy, but if you’re sick you want to be home. You want mom, you want your own bed and you want a clear path to the nearest bathroom. You definitely don’t want to be inconveniencing your suite-mates who are busying cramming for their P-Chem final. It’s a crappy position, if ever you find yourself. As always, there is value in these things.
Statistically speaking, I’m going to get sick on the Race. I certainly don’t want to, and will do my very best to stay healthy. It’s easy to let idealized expectations slip into our lives that slap their knee and say “That’ll never happen”. And then it does, and you find yourself sprawled out on your bed 11PM Tuesday night trying to plan in case things go from bad to worse. It’s at those kind of moments that hope seems to be the most distant intangible guy around. When hope leaves things get scary. It was downright terrifying when I kept taking medicine and my fever wouldn’t break.
These are the training grounds and it’s more than getting good at riding the porcelain bus. Here are some critical realizations I’ve made:
Obstacles are going to happen: it’s not the end of the world, it might however be the start of something valuable.
Obstacles can bring about humility and vulnerability: there’s not a proud way to toss your cookies.
Humility and Vulnerability open the doors for the Spirit to minister to us: My roommate, friends and suite-mates were incredibly compassionate and generous with me. I couldn’t be more thankful for them–such a blessing.
Obstacles, humility and vulnerability are some scary topics(we’ll talk more about them in the future). Don’t let them scare you! Don’t let obstacles become your worst enemies. Don’t be scared of what the future holds… because HE is LEADING.
