Seeing positive

How do you view life?

Some people view life as an adventure. They seem to take everything that life throws at them and still keep smiling. Their vigour and zest for life is amazing. Others seem weighed down by life’s problems and circumstances. They see life as half empty at best.

Last week, whilst visiting Rwanda, my flight out of Kigali airport was cancelled. For a moment panic set in. The negatives of the situation filled my horizon. I was no longer in control, not that I ever was. About twenty five other passengers and I just stood there. Our flight cancelled, no airline representative available and the airport officials offering no reassurances. England seemed a very long way away.

At that moment I chose to view my situation from the positive.

Seven hours later I boarded an aeroplane out of Kigali for Nairobi. My flight from Nairobi to Heathrow was still in place. A wonderful lady in her sixties came an sat in the seat next to me. We started polite conversation about our reasons for being in Rwanda. About 10 minutes into our conversation the lady said that earlier that day she had prayed to her Lord that on her journey home she would have a divine encounter. I was that encounter and that she was inspired by meeting me.

I laughed. My cancelled flight was someone else’s answered prayer.

During my seven hour delay in Kigali I chatted with a mathematician from Canada who has presented theories from platforms and stages around the world. I talked with a Lutheran missionary working in Nairobi. I sat an conversed about life with a couple, also from Canada, visiting a number of African nations.

Seeing positive always helps.

 

Never be too proud

I was brought up to not make yourself vulnerable to others. This included never asking people to help.

Over time this attitude became deeply entrenched. I would rather struggle, make mistakes, get things completely wrong than say ‘hey guys can you help me’. In my world asking for help indicated helplessness, failure, weakness. Internally I mocked people who asked for help.

Deciding to write a weekly blog confronted this deep seated issue head-on. Additionally, it also touched on another area that I find particularly hard, namely reading instructions.

In life, people are placed around us to provide help, support, advice and guidance. These fellow life travelers are often willing to use the skill sets, personality, intellect to help other achieve their life goals and destiny. Often times, when we ask people to help us it empowers them to live life more fully.

So as I start this adventure into blog writing I know that I will need to ask people to help me. In asking for help I am inviting people to revel in their strengths, participate and contribute their riches into my dream of being a blogger and to help me break an attitude of never being vulnerable.

Life is for living and I aim to live life in all its fullness.

In order for me to live life in all its fullness I can not afford to be too proud to ask for help.