“What a waste of time.”
That sentence disrupted my soul! Not everything we go through, is “wasted time.” In fact we spend our entire lives learning, falling down, and getting back up again.
Recently my husband was called up to join our Major League team. This was not his first call up, or his debut, but I cried. I cried like a baby! When his manager called to tell us the news, I am positive that he heard some awful sounding sobbing, but I just couldn’t help it.
3 years and 3 months and 12 days is the time that pasted since Casey, my husband last appeared in the Major Leagues. Since then he went through major elbow surgery and the rehabilitation process that comes with it. Never once did we know if he would be able to play as he once did. We didn’t know if his dream that had seemingly just starting was already ending. We hoped, we prayed, but really, we had no clue.
What I can tell you now is why the phrase “what a waste of time” is a lie. Your time is not wasted if you choose the right perspective.
Sure, this most recent call up was only for two days before being sent back down, heck he didn’t even pitch. They needed his spot for a position player who got injured. But you know what? We got answers. We got proof. We now have confirmation of what we hoped in our hearts, was true. Casey still has what it takes to be a Major League pitcher!
Those two days mean so much for us as a family. It means new insurance, it means I can now get the correct prescription in my eyeglasses, it means we can both get much needed dental work done. It means a pay raise that is a blessing in itself. However, it means so much more than the monetary benefits.
My husband worked his ass off for those 3 years, so what is a “waste of time” to someone, is a part of his comeback story. It’s a huge accomplishment, and a dream come true. It’s a man, who stared adversity in the face and told it to “F” off! He has given his all this season, he has taken on new roles, he has done whatever has been asked, and has failed a few times too.
How we look at ourselves and our stories shape our minds.
If I have learned anything in life in my 27 years here, it’s that the road we take is often a bumpy one, sometimes seeing past current hardships can be very difficult. Yet as time passes, courage grows, and courage then breeds determination. If you can’t understand, or find yourself frustrated, know that what may be “wasted time” is building who you are and preparing you for the rest of the road ahead. We go through many seasons in life. Some have highs, some have lows but if we view them all as a purposeful we will gain perspective.
I will tell you, the road back to the Majors was humbling.
Those 2 days? That was life changing.