I Have a Theory...{I Think People Do What They Have To Do}

Good Afternoon, Everyone! :)
I hope this finds you doing well and enjoying some fine Spring Weather!
(I know I am!)

I have a theory that's been bouncing around inside my head for the last few days.

Well, if I'm being honest, its been there a lot longer than that

I've simply given more time to meditating on it lately.

Now, for those of you who don't know:

I AM NOT A ROCKET SCIENTIST.

I AM NOT BRILLIANT.

I AM DEFINITELY NOT A GENIUS.

I simply call things like I see them.

With that being said,

my Theory is this:

I THINK PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO.

When is the "right" time to give up on a dream?
(Okay, I realize that question might have come out of left field,
but stick with me and we will turn these scrambled eggs
into an omelet shortly.)
Is there a "right" time to give up on a dream?
Fairy tales would tell us to "Never Give Up".
Winston Churchill said to "Never Give Up".
But I think we sometimes have to -- at least temporarily --
give up on our dreams.
I realize that this is a pretty depressing thought,
and I apologize for that.
You know that my desire for my blog is to uplift people,
not bring them down.
But that doesn't mean I only discuss hearts and flowers on a constant basis.
That doesn't mean that I ignore the tough subjects.

But is there such a thing as a "right" time to give up on a dream?
Do we give up on them the moment they seem like they've been wrenched from our grasp?
Or do we step back, give it a little time, gain a little perspective?
Should we give up on them when they appear broken?
Or should we wait to see if the brokenness can be repaired?

(I have a broken dream...isn't that ironic?)

I've had dreams that I've been forced to give up on.
At least one of them you are already aware of:
My X-Ray Dream.
(This is a LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG, drawn out story
that took seven posts for me to tell.
You can find the first of those posts here.)
Based on those story-telling posts,
you know that I DEFINITELY did NOT come lightly to the
conclusion of Giving Up.
It was a very difficult, sometimes gut-wrenching decision to make.
And, honestly, I'm still not "over it".
It still bothers me.
A recent injury at work
(you can find that story here)
 brought up the issue to the forefront of my mind YET AGAIN.

I miss X-Ray.
I miss everything about it.
I miss the challenge.
I miss interacting with patients.
I miss the artful science of it all.
I miss my instructors (never thought I'd hear myself say THAT!)
I didn't want to leave it.
I desperately wanted to find a way to stay a Radiography Student.
But many factors, both personal and financial, did not allow that.

So, instead, I did what I had to do:
I went back to work full-time and pursued other educational courses
and focused on paying off some of the debt
I had incurred while enrolled in Radiography School.
I buckled down and did what I had to do.
(See? We're coming full circle here.
We are starting to see an omelet form where once there were only scrambled eggs.)

I think this is true for people in all walks of life.
I think people do what they have to do.
Okay, maybe not everyone.
I'm not so naive as to think there aren't lazy people in this world.
I've worked in healthcare too long to think that way.
But I do think there are people that I have judged to harshly.

Some people are forced to work in fast food jobs
and other jobs that are often thought of in a negative light
because they simple can't find anything else
(we do have issues with the job market in this country).

I think there are people in need of financial assistance from governmental sources
who are doing their best to support themselves
but are still simply coming up short.

I think there are people who wear the same faded clothes
they've owned since 1990
because they spend any extra pennies they have on their kids.

I think people get up everyday and go to a job they strongly dislike
in order to keep gas in the car
and the bills paid up.

I think people say goodbye to their loved ones
and go serve their country in foreign lands
to provide for those loved ones they are leaving behind.

I think people sometimes have to give up on personal dreams and plans
to accommodate for emotional shortcomings and other personal situations
in the lives of their family members and loved ones.

I think people do what they have to do.

And as someone who's been there...
Someone who has given up on multiple dreams
and worked in less than desirable jobs just to make ends meet,
I need to withhold judgment.
I need to keep in mind why I do the things I do.
I need to extend the same grace to others
that I personally desire to receive.

In my humanness, I can't do it.
In and of myself, I'm as judgmental and selfish as everyone else.
But Jesus can and DEFINITELY is willing to help me with it.
As much as I desire to see myself become more like Him,
He desires it even more.

Jesus, help me to see people as You see them.
Help me to love them the way You love them.
Help me become more like You.
I Love You, Jesus.