Have you ever wondered about strangers? We see them everyday, they have stories of their own, families, heartbreak, and to many people we ourselves are the strangers. I always wonder where people have gotten their scars. Was it surgery? A bad accident? And most of the time I walk away never knowing. So that got me to thinking, what about the emotional scars? So many times there are people we see everyday who carry large burdens with them wherever they go.
We so often think that the burdens we carry are the end all of problems. But the truth is, there is almost always someone out there that has problems that are worse than yours. Insensitive? Maybe. But it doesn't change the fact that it's true. I am terrible about letting things get to me. I focus on everything that is wrong that sometimes I fail to see all that is right. I get so upset over things that I have complete control over too. Which in my opinion just makes it worse.
While at the grocery store today, I saw a man in an electric wheelchair. His battery was almost dead so it was moving incredibly slow. If it were I, I would have been having an inner melt down. But he didn't. He refused to let circumstance overcome his absolute love for life. He just smiled and took the extra time he had (because of the dying battery) and held doors for people. How many people do you know that would do that? It is something that small that makes me think about everything. It reminds me of a sermon I listened to in college, the message was, you can't always control the situation but you can always control how you respond to it.
Life isn't fair. Things go wrong. But we are completely capable of accepting those facts and appreciating that we are alive. So maybe you burnt dinner, at least you have something to eat. Maybe you are heartbroken right now, but at least you felt love. Maybe your house isn't a mansion; at least you have a roof over your head.
At the end of the day, we are not victims of circumstance; we are blessed to have experienced things. Our scars whether physical or emotional, help to make us into who we are. And we are all strangers worth knowing.
