BEAUTY FROM ASHES

Some experiences don’t come twice around. They arrive. They stop at your doorstep. They wait a few seconds. Then, they’re gone. Whether you open that door or not, it depends you. Whether you take on that new adventure of learning, seeing, and receiving, it depends all on you.

If you’ve read my intro blog, then you know I’m a med student. There’s no doubt that I learn something new every day. Time and time again, opportunities have stopped by my door. Opportunities that have given me amazing experiences. Opportunities that have taught me countless lessons. Opportunities that have helped me understand my abilities even more.

However, there have been a few times in which those opportunities have stopped by my door. Waited for a few seconds. And, they’ve left. I have not opened the door. I have not responded to those opportunities. And there is no way of getting them back. I’ve become so frustrated and slammed my head against the table saying: “Why did I miss that chance?!” So when I say that some experiences don’t come twice around, believe me when I say it because I have lived it.  

Recently, I was partnered with another classmate during our clinical rotations. We were sent to Hematology/Oncology at a nearby facility. On arriving, we were asked to help out with a procedure. I saw that my partner hesitated in participating and he asked me if I wanted to do it instead. I didn’t understand why he wasn’t willing to even try (the procedure was fairly easy and we had witnessed the process before). Once again Mr. Opportunity knocked and waited for my response. I jumped at the chance of getting more hands-on experience with this procedure and I said: “Yes, of course, I’ll give it a shot!” Later on, after completing the procedure, I realized something. My partner had an opportunity to learn more and to have a personal experience. But…he hesitated. He wasn’t even willing to try. He didn’t open the door. He ignored the knock. And Mr. Opportunity left.

Every day we are given so many opportunities to live experiences. We are given the choice to ignore or answer the knock; to take that leap of faith or to cower in a corner surrounded by our fears. My partner in a way was harming himself by not taking the chance to learn something new. Who knows when he’ll receive another opportunity. I don’t want to keep hesitating every time a new shot at experiencing something important and life-changing stands in front of me. If I do, guess what? I will stop growing, I will stop learning, I will stop bettering myself, I will stop receiving so many blessings and joys that come with opportunity!

I hope and pray that you are encouraged to jump in at every opportunity you receive to better yourself, to gain more experience, to mature more in Christ, to grow more, to learn more, etc. If we are lucky, and if God has mercy on us, some opportunities do come back a second time around. But…not all of them do.

D O N ' T    M I S S    Y O U R    O P P O R T U N I T Y

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