Learning from Life’s Storms

By Bob Kaelin

As a high school wrestler, I felt destined to become a professional athlete.

But a severe knee injury altered that perceived destiny. Rather than sit out the season and visit a doctor, I decided to continue on and see a doctor over the summer.

After another injury, I was forced to visit a doctor. I learned that waiting to have the injury treated would have likely led to the leg being amputated.

Instead, I was to endure several painful surgeries over the next few years.

My wrestling career was over.

This great disappointment shattered the vision I saw for myself and left me feeling cheated.

But I soon got over this feeling and realized this was not the future I was meant to live.

Later, when I was a candidate for the Vietnam draft, the army reviewed my medical records and concluded I was not a good candidate because of my leg.

My “devastating” knee injury was the only thing that kept me out of the Vietnam War.

Each of us experiences life storms that will either break us or lead us to greater purposes. It all depends on our attitude.

If we spend too much time and energy lamenting “misfortune,” we’ll miss deep lessons and never rise to our full potential.

Embrace the “bad” experiences in your life. Learn from them.

Don’t resent those moments that may blow you off course — you may have a greater course ahead of you than you ever dreamed was possible.