S06E016, A Different Perspective Helps, Andy B 2 Minute Video
Life can throw us a curve ball. You know, for ages, I had absolutely no clue what that meant. A ball can’t curve! Unless, of course, it does. And if you can spin that ball fast enough, and throw it far enough, you’ll see how it can curve through the air – just like a car drifting a round a corner: wheels one way the car going another with the drive wheels spinning.
And that is what life can do – it can leave us reeling.
The whole point of a curve ball, of course – whether that is a baseball, a football or a snooker ball, is to make that object do things the other team wasn’t expecting: got get a goal, score a goal past the defenders, get out of a snooker.
When we’re on the defending side of that ball, it can be oh so very cruel!
A crippling illness; a concentration camp – these are terrible things. But, even with something as tragic as a terminal diagnosis or the evil of a concentration camp, there is still much possibility for joy.
I don’t speak for myself here – I’m paraphrasing from The Hiding Place, written by Corrie Ten Boom about her WWII experience in a concentration camp and for a lovely lady I met with an illness which left her utterly devoid of any sense of independence.
Yet both of those women found a way to pursue joy. And that is something I am not good at. But I’m not good at it yet - how about you?
Just a thought…
Andy B
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Transcript
[00:00:00] So another Andy B Two Minutes Video. A Different Perspective Helps. Have you ever been ill? Ill to the point that you are struggling to think? I'm not talking about, you know, a hurty toe that you, you know, you've stubbed. I'm talking about when you need to take medication at a very set time, perhaps painkillers, or something for your stomach, or maybe an antidepressant that they have to be taken quite fastidiously, carefully.
[00:00:33] Blood thinners, beta blockers, things I've taken in the past. Not anymore, thankfully. You have to take them very, very rigidly at certain times because you could easily overdose or underdose, and you need those medications to function. Blood thinners, for example, I had a timer that went off at 9am and 9pm. That didn't work, so I made it 10am, 10pm. And then I messed around with the time, and then I slowly moved my times to the new time, so I didn't overdose or [00:01:00] underdose.
[00:01:00] A Different Perspective Can Help. If you're not very well, one of the hardest things is to accept, I can't do this. It's one of the things of aging, I can't do this. It's, it's one of the things of growing more mature, and into positions of management and leadership, and you realize, I can't do this, because there are things that we don't know. Either because we've forgotten, maybe we're too old to do them. There's nothing wrong with a different perspective to offer you help.
[00:01:25] If someone offers you help, take that help!
[00:01:28] One day I, I met a lady who was speaking at a church and she had, I believe it was multiple sclerosis. So, you know, quite a hard, disease for day to day living. And she wrestled with God. She got very angry at God, very bitter at God. She hated the idea of people helping her, and I'm independent, I can do these things myself. Here's what God did through that wonderful lady.
[00:01:49] She realized that yes, there are things that she can do herself, but God loves to work in people, with people, through people. And, over [00:02:00] time, she started to realize the privilege of having carers and helpers. Because here's the thing she realised.
[00:02:06] Those carers and helpers are paid to be there. She lost some of her independence. She also had a perfect opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with each one of those people. And they were a captive audience. And it made a massive difference into those people's lives.
[00:02:20] How did she do that? Because she changed her perspective. How did that happen? She put herself at the mercy of God. It was really hard. She lost her independence, but she also gained her independence in different ways, actually, which is interesting.
[00:02:33] Sometimes we need a different perspective on life. Don't be afraid to allow people the honour of helping you.
[00:02:40] Just a thought.
Andy B, 11/03/2024