Perspective Shift

Sometimes God sends me little reminders to adjust my perspective and this morning I got exactly that. I saw a middle aged man preparing to exit his vehicle in the parking lot in front of me. He was struggling greatly and needed assistance from his friend to simply get out of his seat. He was probably over six feet tall but it was hard to tell because his posture was incredibly weakened and he was terribly hunched over. Despite his height, he probably weighed less than 120lbs, his muscles severely atrophied and his limbs contorted at odd angles. He could barely walk and every step through the parking lot was greatly labored. My mind was flooded with a strange mix of emotions: thankfulness for the many blessings in my life, as well as guilt for the whining I sometimes engage in despite everything I have.

Here was the real kicker though, where do you think I saw this man? He was at the GYM! This guy clearly had been knocked down by life and no one would have judged him for giving up and giving in, but he was still fighting. He had every reason to be anywhere else today but still managed to get to the gym and push forward.

We all have obstacles we know we need to move beyond, yet we sit still and then justify our lack of progress. If this man, with seemingly everything against him, still marches on to better himself, what is your excuse?

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