I could title so many of my days down here in Costa Rica as, “God putting my life in perspective.” It seems like just about every day I am fed a heaping dose of perspective. The problems you think you have in your life. The problems that cause worry fail in comparison to the situation or the existence of some of the people down here. When you see someone living in dirt floored shack all of a sudden your problem doesn’t seem so monumental.
There are so many people I have met down here who are huge inspirations to me and who are constantly putting life in perspective for me. I would like to tell you about one of them right now. Some time ago Luis was walking out of a bar and was mugged. The assailants stole money and jewelry leaving Luis in the street bleeding out from three stab wounds. One in the stomach, one barely missing the heart and the other in the back leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He barely survived the incident and has been in a wheelchair ever since. I met him at one of the clinics we had when he came in for an ulcer that had formed on his thigh. After that Rebecca and I have tried to visit him once a week to change his bandage. He is an insane chess player and gives us chess lessons during every visit. To tell you the truth changing his bandage has basically become an excuse to visit and spend time with him. He has become a really close friend.
Yesterday Rebecca and I took a trip to Cartago with him. It is something we have all wanted to do for a long time. I was so stoked to finally have the time to make it happen. The whole trip was super fun. We visited the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles which is an insanely elaborate Catholic church. The history behind what was Costa Ricas old Capital was super interesting. Luis took us everywhere telling us about crazy conspiracies and showing us the best angles from which to take pictures. It was so cool to see how stoked he was to show off his country to us. We probably had the best guide in the country.
Throughout the day I was thoroughly amazed by the attitude of this guy. As he spent the day weaving in and out of traffic and waiting half an hour for a bus with a ramp that worked I didn’t see him get frustrated once. He never made an excuse for anything. I couldn’t stop thinking about how easy it would be for him to make excuses or feel sorry for himself. I mean, throughout the whole time I have known him I have never once heard him even mention the fact that he is in a wheel chair. He is an inspiration to me in so many ways. He is just an amazing human being.
It is easy for us to forget how blessed we are when our problems seem to overwhelm us. We all constantly need to be gaining perspective in the lives we are living. The Bible tells us, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9) I thank God for Luis and I pray that I can become more like him.
To The Race Set Before Us, Anton
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