Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Winning Hand – How to Play with the Cards Dealt to you



The Winning Hand – 
How to Play with the Cards Dealt to you
Scripture Reference: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

            My family spends a lot of time playing cards. This might be why this is such an easy analogy for me to understand. This is an analogy that I have gone to many times in describing the way my life seems to be going at the time. Fortunately, I had a co-worker correct my way of thinking and the conversation we had has always stuck with me.
            In July 2010 I had my third surgery to remove endometriosis. Six months after that I had to have a follow-up appointment with my specialist.  This appointment did not go well. This appointment about broke me. My doctor was not happy that in the six months after surgery I hadn’t conceived. Then when he asked me about the pain things just got worse. I told him that the pain was not as bad since having the surgery. Unfortunately, because I still had any pain he informed me that I still had endometriosis and proceeded to call it an active disease for the rest of the appointment. He strongly encouraged me to go on birth control to hinder the endometriosis until I was ready to try to get pregnant again. This would be a simple request, but when he said try to get pregnant again he meant in-vitro fertilization (IVF). By the time I left that appointment was absolutely devastated.
            When I got to work it took everything in me to hold it together. In fact, I am sure I cried that day. I eventually went and talked to one of my co-workers. I complained that this was just the hand that was dealt to me and it was a stinky hand. Thankfully, this was a very honest co-worker and I didn’t get upset with him when he was brutally honest with me. He corrected me and told me that I was dealt an amazing hand; I just got one lousy card.
            Here is my question to you: when that one card becomes overwhelming, have you looked at the rest of your hand? So, in my case, when I was so focused on the infertility card I was missing what my hand really looked like. I didn’t see that potential I really had. I began to ignore all of the good cards and focus only on that one card. In all reality, this is what my hand really looked like.


            There was only one bad card in my hand. Then, to take this analogy one step further, in poker, you can still win with a stinky hand! The right attitude can help you win.
            Then, after every game you are dealt a new hand. You have the potential to get dealt the perfect hand; you have the potential to get dealt a stinky hand. Odds are you will not always get the perfect hand, you will have to face trials. In those times that you are facing a trial, don’t forget to look at the rest of your hand.
And no matter what…

Always by joyful,

Never stop praying,

Be thankful in all circumstances

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

No comments:

Post a Comment