Earlier on the race I wrote a blog about my struggles with depression. Today, I write to you about a blessing that has pushed depression away.
MEET KAITLYN
She is a outgoing, funny, loving, always there kind of girl.
If you need someone willing to do anything, always happy to do whatever is needed, she is your girl.
The best cheerleader you could wish for. Month 5 she broke her toe, so she couldn’t do manual labor with us. Instead of staying in bed or chilling, she took upon herself to be our cheerleader, and she made wheeling mud fun.
She never chooses to be on top, instead to come under you and lift you higher. To support and encore you. To be a shoulder to cry on or the butt of a joke. When we are talking about oranges she will soon she say that reminds her of the air conditioner. How things connect in her brain is beyond me, but her stories and the connections between them always crack me up.
One day I was talking to a friend back home about depression, how no matter what, it snuck up on me every once in a while. And one of the things that pull me out of it is doing extrovert stuff, but by the time I see I’m depressed I don’t want to be around people and start doing introvert things, that just make it worse.
However, as I’m talking to him about it, I can’t seem to remember the last time I’ve struggled with depression. And soon I realise I haven’t had one since before being on a team with Kaitlyn.
And the question I asked myself is why?
Well the answer is, she loves people with all her heart. She loves you not only in the way she likes to love you, but also in the way you need to be loved.
Even before I knew I needed to be loved a certain way she paid attention to my habits and needs.
It makes me wonder why I haven’t told others what I need from them in order to be happier. Why haven’t I depended on the people God gave me as friends instead of trying to do everything alone?
I wish upon all of you a friend like Kaitlyn, and I pray that everyone will seek to be a Kaitlyn towards at least one person in your life.
Tell people how you need to be loved, and ask others how they need to be loved. You doing the things you need from others will not make them do those acts towards you.
Yeah the Bible say do to others what you want them to do to you. But you simply loving others the way you want to be loved is not going to be loving them well. P
What’s the point of buying sweets for someone who doesn’t eat sweets, because you wish they’d buy you sweets.
Why do we humans choose to keep ours needs a secret so others need to guess? In my case, it’s fear that I might say it and still not see a difference, or simply not caring about what I need.
But are my fears worth the depression or unhappiness? For me it’s not, but you are the only one that can decide it for yourself. Kaitlyn has shown me that’s it’s worth while, however I know it’ll be a hard thing to keep doing, once I’m wherever I end up and she is back in Texas.
It’ll be hard when the safety net the race and her have built for me aren’t there anymore. But these past 6 months with her has made me grow and given me practice in depending on others.
Most importantly I trust in the Lord, and I trust in the people He has called to walk by my side in this season of my life. For they have been my church, together we’ve been the body of Christ this past year.
