Let me just tell you a little bit about Dallin. When he was born, he had a club foot that needed to be corrected via surgery. We waited until he was around 15 mos to do it but until then, the doctor just said that he'd struggle a lot to walk, probably wouldn't, actually.
Dallin walked at around 12 mos. It looked funny, but he did. And when he got really good at walking, bam. Surgery. So back down the ladder he went. But then he figured out walking with his little cast on his little leg. People would suspiciously say, "bit young for a cast!"
Ohhhh the judgments of our society!
Eventually he mastered his thigh high cast then bam, knocked down again with the adjustments to a new, smaller cast. But once again, he quickly figured out that and took off to keep up with his older brother.
Finally he was cast-less and free to be Dallin.
This kid has had set back after set back as life goes on for him. But what remains a constant is his fight. He is one kid who lets NOTHING discourage him. I've always been so impressed with how he faces challenges. He feels them. He recognizes them. And then he faces them and overcomes them. It happens all the time!
His goal this year was to make it to states for wrestling. I remember him talking about that. He had all his plans, ducks in a row, small goals, of how to accomplish. I watched him come home exhausted from practices (I think, hands down, wrestlers have the toughest practices of ANY SPORT. I'd challenge that with anyone) only to continue doing some sort of exercise at home. He'd eat carefully. Work out hard. He wanted to qualify for states.
A few weeks into his season, during a match, he was thrown down and separated his shoulder. 2nd degree separation. My heart fell for him. He was devastated.
I wondered if he'd even be able to wrestle at all.
He did.
By the end of the season, he was well enough to wrestle in districts.
And he lost his first match.
But then went on to win the remaining 2.
And made it to states. He made it to states because of his seasons record.
I post this picture and I tell this story because of what Dallin teaches me.
This kid. He's familiar with defeat. He's familiar with set backs. He's familiar with unfair treatment or biased coaches. He can empathize with so much.
But he simply doesn't. let. it. stop him!
Losing. Set backs. Disappointment. So much of what life hands us. The question is, what do we do with it?
I'm confident that Dallin will be successful at whatever he wants to do in life. He just has that fight in him. I'm so happy for him!
I've had so many conversations with friends who are struggling with so much. But what impresses and amazes me is their power to fight.
I hate Rocky. Those movies. Ughhhh... hate them! But Matt LOVES them so I'm exposed to the mindnumbing that is this movie. Movies. There's a bunch out there. But he says something that I actually love. Rocky tells this kid, "It aint about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."
Rocky gets points from me for that one. I like that he said, "forward." Moving forward.
Dallin moves forward. It's amazing. I love it. I've learned so much from it.
The thing is, moving forward includes miracles. The ability to move forward after being knocked down invites the hand of God, miracles from heaven, to be a part of our progress. It really does.
I think that God sees our desires, especially during our deepest and darkest moments, He can see that we still desire, and He helps us. He can. It's called grace. That has become a powerful word to me.
Dallin made it to states by the grace of God. He did well during his season, got 3rd at districts, and was picked to go because of his season's record.
This can be applied to my life. To my friends' lives. My kids' lives. Life will be full of set backs, disappointments, what have you. But I believe that if we desire to get up and to keep moving forward, we can. And we'll see God's hand. And that's such a ... sweet thing.
