Originally written: February 26, 2015
I went to a talk today given by a young man who’s been through a lot. Since the age of 18, he has experienced constant pain behind his eyes. He’s been to 60 or more doctors…and they still don’t know the exact cause of his pain.
He’s grown through this pain though. It’s allowed him to mature in ways that he wouldn’t have been able to if he didn’t have it. He says he feels as though he’s already 50. But he’s not, he’s just taken more time then most young people these days to think, ponder, consider the questions and mysteries God has placed here before us on earth.
When this young man first began experiencing his pain, he was a senior in highschool. Rather than put college on hold, he thought, “I’m going to give it a shot. I’m going to work through this.” The pain was too much though. He couldn’t read, he couldn’t study. He found solace in playing the piano. For hours each day, he would just play, closing his eyes and trying to forget his pain.
Today, he is a professional pianist. He has written over 100 pieces. But the first one he wrote, the one that was written for his sister to play, is still his most popular. Why? you might wonder. Well, I think the reason is that it was his beginning. It was his leap of faith. He stepped out on a limb to see what would happen. And the world responded in a wonderful manner.
He had the same experience with speaking. He thought, “I’ll just give it a shot. It’s something I can do.” Now he has spoken for many groups. He’s an amazing speaker. Though his pain may impede his delivery, the message he sends is so profound that the delivery can only make it more real. He’s truly an amazing young man.
After this introduction, I’d like to dwell on the main message in his speech. He told us that in every situation there is something you can do. So he asked us, “Are you doing what you can with what you have right now? You can’t write? Have you tried it? No one becomes a great author in one day. You want to play music? Don’t know anything about it? Try it! Remember, someone taught Mozart to play the C scale. Someone taught Einstein that 2+2=4.”
Think about his life for a moment. He was an eighteen year old in the “prime” of his life. He had the world to conquer, college to teach him “everything” he needed to know. And then his life went on hold. He couldn’t do anything he was in so much pain! Yet, he found something he could do! He found the piano. He perfected his skills and became a great pianist and composer. He did what he could…with what he had…right then.
He continues to do so! He’s not waiting to return to what he was. He’s moving forward, becoming a new person. Right now he’s working on memorizing the Bible! He’s memorized James, Philippians, and, I think, more. Since he can’t read, he’s listening to the Bible. He says that he’s memorizing the Bible so that he can “turn the pages in his head”. He may seem as though he is handicapped, but in my eyes he’s doing more than most people I see in the world today.
So, I want to ask you. What are you doing with what you have right now?
You don’t have to be singing, playing piano, guitar, violin, and cello, writing books, journaling, blogging, reading, knitting, playing baseball, basketball, etc, running, etc. to be doing what you can with what you have. Maybe you have a lot of talent, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload yourself. It just means that you have some choices to make. Which talents are you going to focus on? Which ones are going to go on the back-burner, only used every once in a while? Focusing on a few isn’t bad. In fact, it can be beneficial in helping you excel in those few you choose to focus on so that, in doing what you can with what you have now, you can offer something to better the world! To give praise and thanks to the Lord for what He has given you!
So as you enter this new year, know you are beautifully and wonderfully made. Remember that! Then go do what you can with what you have now!
Carpe Veritatem!
