Planted Feet

Photo by Hillari Burns

By CORINNE VANCE

Have you ever been comfortable? Content with where your life is just to have the carpet ripped from beneath your so called “planted” feet and found yourself lying on your back looking up at that high place you were just moments before? That is the worst feeling in the world.

As human beings, we let ourselves get comfortable because it’s easier than always staying on our toes, ready to jump whenever the carpet is pulled. We forget to anticipate and prepare for the worst because we simply get comfortable.

God has a crazy way of waking us up from our super-hero mentality and bringing us back to earth. He knocks us off our high horse so we can get back up and try again with the knowledge we acquired from our previous mistakes. We are all going to fall down at some point. What matters is how we get back up.

We always seem to lose our footing when we are balancing at the peak of happiness. When I feel like everything is falling into place and nothing can stand in my way, I get comfortable. As soon as I get comfortable, I stop thinking things through because I feel as if I am invincible. Or so it seems.

In that moment when I let myself relax, I become stupid. I begin to live my life differently, not involving God in every situation or decision that is put in front of me. So when you stop plummeting towards the ground and are lying flat on your back what do you do?

You react and you learn, and those reactions and learned lessons are more important than any wrongdoing done or left undone. About a year ago I did something that I am not proud of, I was called on my mistake, I put myself in a difficult position, and I had a decision to make. I could either accept this person I had let myself become, or I could step back and start over.

To start over sounds so simple, like solitaire, you make a few mistakes and you get stuck so you start over with just a click of a mouse. God doesn’t give us a “redo” button in life simply because that would make it too easy; it wouldn’t teach us anything.

So starting over is hard. In my situation, giving in and walking away would have been a lot easier than standing taller than this “thing” that I had done, which now defined me in the eyes of many people. I could have done nothing and let this sickness take over me…but I didn’t.

To walk in a room and actually hear your name on the lips of all who surround you is one of those “carpet pulling” moments. But that time I was prepared. I was on my toes and I jumped in time to land on my feet. Was it a smooth landing? No, but a landing nonetheless.

My legs were trembling and my voice shaky, but in that moment of weakness I found strength in my grandmother’s favorite bible verse: “Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9.

Throughout my life I had let the most important things in life dim out. But through tragedy, I saw the light and with every passing day those lights shine brighter. I am still overcoming the hurdle in front of me, but it does get a little easier every day. Would I go back and change what had happened? Yes, in a heartbeat. But I do respect and am thankful for what it has taught me.

I’ve learned that no matter what tragedy happens, there is no way to out run it. So each morning, I ask God to grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can change, and the wisdom to know the difference!

You can’t undo previous mistakes and regrets, but you can make things right in your life from here on out. Learn from your mistakes and strive to live in a more Christ like way everyday. I have never been closer to Christ than I am now and I have never been more thankful for true friendships, loving parents, and an accepting church. I face forward every day and don’t plan to look back. Don’t forget your past; it’s the best set of instructions you have for a better future.

WE HIGHLY ENCOURAGE COMMENTS!!!