Several of my readers have said they enjoyed my series on “Laughter” in which I included jokes. We all know that laughter is the best medicine. I’m not going to publish daily jokes as I did during the series in August, but I will include a joke every once in a while just to keep things fun.
I heard the joke below and got a kick out of it.
A teacher was outside watching over her students during recess. She heard one of her students make the statement, “I’m so stupid!” It seemed to be all in jest, but it just didn’t sit right with the teacher. She felt she needed to do something about it.
When the students returned to the classroom and had taken their seats, the teacher decided to teach them a life lesson about seeing yourself as less than you truly are. She stood up at the head of the class and said, “If anyone in this classroom really thinks they’re stupid, then I want you to stand up.”
The students were a little confused and she saw several of the kids looking around to see if anyone had stood up. Finally, little Johnny stood up.
The teacher said, “Now, Johnny, do you really think you’re stupid?” To which the young boy replied, “No, ma’am. I just didn’t want you to feel bad standing there all alone.”
Kids say the darnedest things!
The lesson the teacher was attempting to teach was that we shouldn’t keep telling ourselves that we’re less than we really are. If we tell ourselves something like that long enough, we’ll eventually start to believe it.
I’m reminded of the story of the young man who was told by a high school counselor that he should probably pursue a trade as he wasn’t college material. He had gotten good grades in high school, but for some reason, the counselor didn’t see much potential in him.
He was dejected, but he figured the counselor must be right. After all, she was the professional.
The young man started working trivial jobs after high school. He was a dish washer at a restaurant. He swept and polished floors at a grocery store. One day he decided to apply for a janitorial position at a well-known IT company. The interview went well, but he didn’t have much hope of landing the job. He thought to himself the company must have plenty of people applying who were better than he was.
The next day, to his surprise, he received a call from the interviewer. She said she saw something special inside him and wanted to offer him the job. It was for twice the amount of money he was currently making, so he immediately accepted the offer.
On his first day on the job, he was asked to take an intelligence test and a placement test. He dreaded taking them because the words of the high school counselor kept repeating in his head. He was so afraid he was going to lose the job because he knew his scores were going to come back low.
The very next day, he was called into the president’s office. He thought to himself, “Here goes, they’re going to fire me for being so stupid.” When he arrived, he found the person who had interviewed him and the president of the company waiting for him. The president shook his hand and began telling him that he had just scored higher on the IQ test than anyone in the history of the company. He went on to say that the placement test indicated he shouldn’t be on the janitorial staff, but rather should be in the developmental program for people with high potential. The young man was dumbfounded.
All this time, he had thought he was stupid and had no potential. Now they were telling him he was highly intelligent and had tremendous potential. Over the years, the young man excelled in his job and received numerous promotions. Today, he is the president of that company.
Both the joke and the story tell us that we shouldn’t always listen to others and we should never assume our self-worth is less than it actually is. If we tell ourselves something over and over again, we eventually start believing it, just like the young man in the story.
Myasthenia Gravis can do that to us. It can tell us over and over again how we’re weak, we’re sick, we’re incapable of doing things. Sometimes some of that may be accurate on a temporary basis, but it’s not accurate on a permanent basis and we need to kick those notions out of our heads.
We may have MG, but we’re still capable. Our minds are still bright. We can still get around. We can do most everything we want to do. We have Myasthenia Gravis, Myasthenia Gravis doesn’t have us.
If we succumb to what MG is telling us, we’ll eventually convince ourselves we’re incapable of doing anything. Our lives will be filled with “I can’t do that!” Our perception of our own self-worth is important. It means the difference between becoming a victim or being a survivor. If we continue to tell ourselves we’re incapable, we’ll become incapable. But, if we tell ourselves we can do something, we’ll find the courage and strength to do it.
You are a child of God. He made you in his image. Do you think he would have made someone who is incapable? I don’t think so. He made you with the abilities and gifts to do amazing things and he provides you with the opportunities to use them.
Maybe you’ve already done amazing things in your life. Then do some more. There are people who need your knowledge and experience to help make their lives better.
Maybe you don’t think you’ve ever done amazing things. I beg to differ, but you still have time. Find your dream and go after it. Don’t let anything anyone else has ever told you hold you back. Don’t let MG become your crutch. You can still be a beacon for others.
Life is short. Don’t waste it focusing on the limitations others have placed on you, including what MG has been telling you. Reach for your dreams. Find your opportunities. You’re smarter, you’re more talented, you’re more capable than you think.