Skip to main content

When Life Gives You a Goat!

This weekend my son competed in his first Swimming Club Championship Gala.  Last minute advice issued, my stomach churned as he mounted the starting blocks for the Under 9s fifty metres breaststroke. Fifty-eight seconds later, he had stormed to victory in his heat; we later discovered he had taken the trophy for the overall Under 9s event.  Riding high on this victory, he headed for the backstroke.  This time he trailed behind his competitors and, slightly misjudging the finish, found himself disqualified for turning onto his front before he reached the end.

Once he had recovered from the disappointment (with the help of a Double Decker), we reflected on the lessons learned that extended far beyond swimming to all of life.  Although disqualification was a huge disappointment, it was a lesson learned.  He could let it beat him and give up – or shrug it off and learn from it.  We regaled our own experiences of disqualification from sporting events to make him see that we have all had those moments where it has gone completely wrong for us – and had a choice to make as a result: quit or learn from it and keep growing.  By bedtime he was smiling again, looking forward to the next competition.

This point is brilliantly illustrated in the newly released film, ‘Despicable Me 3.’  A little girl goes searching for a unicorn in a forest.  She returns home with a one horned goat, delighted with her find.  As her father sits down with her to point out the true identity of her new pet, he delivers the inspired line: “My darling, that is life – you hope for a Unicorn and what you get is a goat!” Instead of crumpling, as the audience expects, she jumps up joyfully, declaring she loves it anyway and begs to keep it.



Some of our ‘goats’ are bigger than others and their disappointing presence in our lives can be hard to accept.  We don’t want to keep them and make the best of it – we would prefer a unicorn! But we don’t have to shoulder their burden alone.  “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus said, “but take heart, for I have overcome the world.”  If we let Jesus walk with us, he will help us go forward, change our perspective and give us a hope that carries us through this life and into the next, however many times we are disqualified or find ourselves in possession of a goat!

Comments

  1. Really good once again. At least a goat is real, unicorns are only fantasy!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Birthday, Dearest Bec

Dearest Bec I can’t believe it’s your birthday and you are not here.  Every year, I rush into town, straight after Christmas, to hit the sales and buy you something you don’t really need – not your fault you were born straight after Christmas and, after all, every girl always needs more earrings, notepads, belts, recipe books.  I can’t even remember what I bought you last year, as it was such an ‘ordinary’ thing – It didn’t feel momentous or unusual, just a sister, giving her little sister her annual birthday gift. How would I have ever guessed it would be the last one I would buy for you? I’m not sure how to cope this week as, instead of eating cake together, we scatter your ashes.  I’m not sure how you continue with normal life, go to work, talk with friends, in a week like this.  I am trying to distract myself with memories filled with you, to remind myself that I will always have these, even if I no longer have you.  So here are my favourite pictures, sifted from the many

Facing Hard Things

All of us, at some point in life, will face hard things.   And by hard, I mean life-sapping, crushing, painful-beyond-imagining, hard things.   At times like these, we can look around at others, feeling bitter and angry that life’s cruel lottery has dealt us this hand and others, one that makes much better reading on Facebook.   I faced a hard thing, when my daughter, Grace, was still born at 25 weeks of pregnancy.   The road I’ve walked since has been one of doubt, hesitancy, small steps, more questions, moving forward, moving backwards, moving forward again and getting to a place of fragile healing. I was not naïve enough to think this would be my lifetime supply of ‘hard things’ and sure enough, more have come knocking – pounding down the door, in fact – in recent weeks.   None of the ‘hard things’ are yet my story to tell; they are bound up and interwoven with the lives of others, whose confidence I will not break.   It will suffice to say they are hard, life-stripping, a

Remembering Grace Again

Remembering Grace Again Grace's 'birthday' comes around so quickly. Although it's now seven years ago, the unfolding narrative of that week still plays through my mind when the anniversary comes around. Each year is different and this year I feel further forward, more healed and whole than before. Rather than being on a roller coaster of emotion as it plays out, it feels more like watching an old cine film - a bit more distanced, with the volume turned down. Still there, still sad to watch but less painful, less debilitating. Professional support in moving forward (EMDR - a recognised and highly successful approach to dealing with trauma) has played a huge part in that and I would recommend it for anyone struggling with difficult, traumatic memories. The journey and ups and downs of this year are too much and too personal to write about in detail here, but I am always happy to talk further with anyone who wants to know more. Facing and dealing with traum