As a woman who battles chronic illness, I also battle, much more often than not, the voices that come in the dark: the doubts of other people. Despite the obstacles I face, I still try to dream big and influence others for God, and in a positive way. I refuse to believe that God has brought me this far, just to let me sit here and be stagnant. So I keep pushing forward. I choose to dream the unimaginable.
Have you ever felt like people roll their eyes and shake their heads at what you’re trying to do in life? Like what you’re trying to do is impossible, and you’re stupid to waste your time fighting for it? But you can’t see their reasoning at all, because something deep inside of you is telling you to keep fighting for it.
This doesn’t come without people doubting me. I’ve had people nearly laugh at what I’m trying to do. I’ve been told that what I’m trying to do is pointless, worthless, even. They tell me I’m not strong enough, not smart enough – incapable, too exhausted, too broken to make much of a difference. When will I find the time to do that?
In fact, I’ve heard the question, “Are you sure you can do this?” an innumerable amount of times. I’ve let this stop me from doing things I’d dreamt of – from truly living out loud. But over the years, I’ve realized something: it doesn’t matter what they think. They’re not me. If I believe in something, if I love doing something, I should reach for it. Because for the million reasons people will give me for why I shouldn’t or can’t do something, I can come up with ten million reasons for why I can, and will. Instead of dwelling on the what-if’s, I think of all of the amazing things that could happen when I succeed.
One thing I’ve learned from my journey and my condition is that no one is promised tomorrow. Not one of us. We must live for today. If we sit and wait for others to put their stamp of approval on our dreams, we’ll never achieve anything higher than mediocrity.
You see, it doesn’t matter what others think, or whether they believe we can accomplish what we’re trying to do, if we believe in it and fight for it, with all our heart and soul. Especially when we’re struggling with chronic illness, we’re often told by those around us – doctors, coworkers, even friends and family – that what we’re trying to do is out of the question. We should just sit back and let someone who has more energy, more strength, or who is more qualified do it.
People often focus on the reasons why something hard is unimaginable, reminding you of all of the things you’re not seeing, or considering why you can’t accomplish something. If you believe in your dream with all of your heart, don’t back down, don’t give up, just because the world says it’s impossible, or it can’t be done. If you believe in something strong enough to fight for it, don’t let the world’s shouts of discouragement become your background noise. Instead, listen for that still, small voice inside, and repeat it enough to yourself, so that it drowns out everything else around you. My background noise is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Maybe your background noise is something different, but whatever it is, don’t let it be the shouts of doubt.
Edited by Jacquie Galvano
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