There was a little boy who moved from place to place, struggling to find his place in the world
And
There was a little boy who grew up within a stable, supportive family
And
There was a young child who was consistently ridiculed and bullied
And
There was a young child who was consistently loved and encouraged
And
There was a teenager who struggled to read, and hated school
And
There was a teenager who never studied, yet passed all his classes
And
There was a young man who passed on the opportunity to go to college because he felt incapable
And
There was a young man chosen to be a part of an exclusive military nuclear program
And
There was a man who forfeited the chance to be a father, marrying a woman who never wanted children
And
There was a man who married a woman who made him the father of four children
And
There was a man, whose wife left him after 12 years of marriage to be with another man
And
There was a man whose wife of over 25 years stood faithfully by his side
And
There was a man who relentlessly pursued the world’s pleasures
And
There was a man who surrendered his life to a higher purpose
And
All of these men were in fact the same man
And
Each day that man gets to choose which of these experiences will shape his identity
Bjcorbin's Blog 
Hi BJ!
I wish I did, but I don’t really understand what you wrote!
Could you please explain it to me?
Thank you!
~Maria
All of the statements included within this writing describe my own experiences, both good and bad. And my point is that I can choose to view my life through the lens of the struggles or through the lens of the blessings. Our human nature often causes us to hold on to the hurts of the past, and to forget all the blessings we’ve been given. I can be forever a victim of the strangers who were unkind to me, or I can take solace in the loving family who were always there for me. I can lament my lack of formal education, or I can be grateful for the successful career I’ve had in spite of that. I can testify about the hurtful infidelity I experienced in my first marriage, or I can share about the healing love that I’ve experienced in the second one. I can tell you tales from my checkered past, or I can tell you the story of how God changed my life.
We live in a time when people seem eager to tell their victim story, or to declare themselves to be damaged goods (e.g. mental illness, anxiety disorders, bi-polar,..), but I believe that it is far more productive, for both me and those I encounter, to share my story of perseverance, and ultimately redemption. I hope this helps.
That’s beautiful! Thanks for the explanation! I guess I’m like the disciples who needed an explanation of the parables, ha ha!!
I agree that we live in a time when people like to share their victim story!
That must have been hard to write. It is excellent and shows what we all face in life, but the ones who reach out to God and stay the course will settle into His purpose for their life and find contentment & fulfillment.