I loved to read the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. I have a number of the books published containing the collections of the popular comic strip from the mid 80's to the mid 90's. It always made me laugh in large part due to the fact that it reminded me of...ME!
If Calvin were a real little boy he would have been likely diagnosed with ADD or ADHD and put on medication. Calvin was always a day dreamer and heading off to a far planet in a space ship or talking to his best friend Hobbes- a stuffed tiger. I wonder is being a dreamer a bad thing these days? I hope not.
If you were in worship last week you heard me share my story about my ADD. We can sometimes allow ourselves to be labeled by the world and those labels can become definitions and limitations in our life. That is what I let happen to me. I convinced myself they were right and I would have no chance of college and my best bet in the world was to do trade school.
No one helped me think differently until many years later and much wasted time had passed that was self-destructive. What I found was that I just needed to explore ways for me to learn and cope in order to succeed. I was not stupid or damaged or less of a person- I just learned differently than the majority. I found I learned best by writing things down over and over if need be. Memorization was tough for me but if I wrote it I got it down fast and with much less effort. I also found I could stay on task if I developed a calendar and a "to-do" list. I would start by writing down what needs done and then prioritize it into 3 lists. I have a daily list, a weekly list and finally a broad to do list. I then take the list and plug it into my calendar and assign a time to do that work. This works for me but everyone is different. I went from a guy who was torn apart inside and haunted by the labels that told be what I cannot do to a guy who found a way and went not just to college but to grad school where I received my Masters.
Now I have to give thanks where thanks is do. That thanks goes to God who as I stated in my sermon does not make trash. I am his and I am fearfully and wonderfully made! I believe that now. Years ago it was different because I looked at myself as trash. The little boy that is inside all of us could not see beyond what was placed upon me. That shaped and molded me instead of the truth of how God saw me as His child being what shaped and molded me.
Three things I leave you with this time:
1. Do not buy into the label other put on you. Our lives are too complex to be stuffed into a bottle that small.
2. Be careful how you label others. What we say and how we treat others can have a lasting consequence in a person's life.
3. Do not ever forget: YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made! Psalm 139:14. YOU are God's masterpiece!
God bless you all!
Pastor Andy
A good song and video is Remind me who I am Lord by Jason Gray. Click on the link to see the video!
