Recently, I read a story about a lady who had struggled with infertility but was eventually able to have 3 beautiful children with her husband. During her pregnancies, she had had some other vague discomforts which everyone chalked up to her being pregnant. It ended up, however, that they discovered she had some rare cancer that was at a stage 4 just after the premature birth of her third child. She was devastated. In searching for answers, she came across 2 people who helped turn her story from fear to joy.
The first person was a doctor that she had found in Canada who dealt with this type of cancer who told her to “Just live.”. In other words, her doctor told her to enjoy the life that she had, at this point, to the fullest. The doctor wanted this woman to enjoy her family and enjoy spending time with them and to help them to store up good memories for the future. The second person was a person (whom she saw on a video) who was also suffering from cancer, but was dancing around with her bald head and doing cartwheels or walking on her hands and laughing. Seeing that video changed her attitude towards her disease and she began, slowly at first, to run, then run marathons, then triathlons. It didn’t make the cancer go away but instead of being depressed and down, she began to live her life joyfully, one day at a time. This was three and a half years ago and the story ended where she stated that she wanted to be able to see her youngest go to school.
I liked this story because it inspires me to look at life differently and definitely work to finding the joy in the midst of the bad. Maybe our story isn’t as bad as hers, maybe it’s worse. I just know that despite our circumstance that we are in, our attitude can change. Maybe your issue isn’t your health but maybe it’s someone or something that’s outside of your control. Whatever the circumstance, we need to choose joy.
When we choose joy in dealing with ALL of life’s hills and valleys then it helps us to be able to get through just a little bit easier. I know that we are all entitled to feel down and be bummed out about what we are dealing with and/or whatever the issue is, but, somehow, the joy will and can begin to overtake being down. It certainly can’t hurt and may just give us the boost we need to get through. (Related post: Traversing the hills and valleys of life with grace)
What did I learn from this? I’ve been there in the valley and I’ve been worried and frustrated and tired and indeed angry, at times, but when I found my joy (and my joy is, most assuredly, in God), I begin to change. No matter the issue that I’m dealing with, I’m finding my laughter more and my ability to smile more and….. just more. I’m also finding that the more that I can share in other’s pain and share with them from mine, I grow. I grow as a woman, as a mother, as a wife, as a daughter, as a sister and mostly….. as a friend.
So, what can you gain from this? Challenge yourself to try to find what makes you joyful. Is it music? Is it dancing? Is it …….? Fill in that blank. Come out of the dark and begin to see that this too shall pass. Your time in the valley WILL pass. It’s just temporary, then after, go out and share your story to encourage others because you’ve been there. You should be heard that you are a survivor.
A Joyful Mission 