This semester has been a challenge for many reasons. This is not a post just about school, so hang with me :) I've wanted to quit MULTIPLE times, and have spent many nights crying with exhaustion and frustration.
Situations are not always what they seem
One of the most frustrating situations for me this semester was finding a pediatric preceptor. I have been turned down by multiple contacts, and I felt as though I would never find a preceptor. Actually, I DID have a preceptor that I even arranged last semester that fell through (long story). And I found another pediatrician to take me, but the organization she worked for required certain paperwork.
That paperwork was the center of my demise. To make it short--I turned this paper into the university and waited for it to be returned. As the weeks went by, I lost my 2nd preceptor. Sigh. Frustration. I wanted to quit! Obtaining the required paperwork was a major obstacle and felt like an impossibility!
(a point is coming--so keep reading)
One day, I finally called the office manager to inquire about these nebulous requirements, and her response: "You work . . .where?" "Oh, you don't need to fill out those papers!!" Oh my!! How ironic. I was saddened at the time I wasted worrying.
Here I had struggled, wanted to quit (almost did), cried, worried, etc. about these papers and all along--I didn't even need them! Within 2 days, I had all of my required paperwork done and had arranged my first day with my pediatric preceptor.
This situation reminded me of a story a dear friend shared with me. Her son, who adores sports (and dislikes reading), was reading a story of the Mannings (think football). As he read this biography, he informed his mother that Archie Manning Sr. had committed suicide when Archie Jr. was only 19. My friend read and discovered that this man--who was depressed by looking at his poverty circumstances, committed suicide as a "way out" of his demise. The irony of it all--his son, and his 3 grandsons (Eli, Peyton, Cooper) and played college football and well, if you know a little, know that Peyton and Eli--play for the NFL. They aren't exactly living in poverty! What irony!
This story has never left my mind since she shared it with me. How focused we can become on our current situation, that we want to quit, give up, or even take our own lives--when what we "see" with our own eyes is far from what is really happening--and far from what God sees for our lives.
So--if you are feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, and feel like you want to quit--remember this story. . . and remember my story. Sometimes we have to "see" with eyes of faith--and not focus on the here and now, because sometimes what we "see" is not what is real at all.
And remember that . . . quitting is not an option!
