When I was a kid, I would sometimes get discouraged, because I couldn’t keep up physically with other kids. My mom would tell me that one day things like that wouldn’t matter as much. She said that my time would come. As usual, she was right.
Like I said in my first blog post, after I decided to follow Christ and accepted that he had a plan for me, things started to look up. In high school I found things that I could get involved in where physical ability was not a factor. One of those things was FFA. My agriculture teacher believed in me and told me I needed to be in FFA. I had the opportunity to compete with other students on a level playing field through Career Development Events. This was a major confidence boost for me. I realized that I had a passion for agriculture and really laid a foundation for my future.
Since I was not able to compete much in sports, I focused my efforts in academics. I always did well in school; it wasn’t easy, but I did it. Throughout high school, the work I put in academically began to open up doors for me, and I could feel “my time” approaching. It would come when I made the decision to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC).
Growing up, I never wanted to go anywhere else besides the University of Georgia. However, after applying early to UGA, they decided to defer my decision to the spring. I thought it would be a good idea to consider other options, so I visited ABAC. There was just something special about it; it felt right. I prayed that God would put me where I needed to be, and the answer was clear that ABAC was the place.
When I got to ABAC, nobody seemed to care about my disability. People treated me no different. Well, most people, but that’s a talk for another day. Anyway, I made great friends, I joined a fraternity (Alpha Gamma Rho), got involved in several student organizations, and was blessed with so many opportunities. I felt more normal and accepted at ABAC than ever before.
If you have made it this far, you might be wondering what the point is. Every season in our lives may not be great. We will all go through things, but just like me your time will come. Try not to focus too much on the things that might be getting you down right now. One day those things might not matter much. Your time will come.