A couple of months ago, I went in for my formal clergy assessment with a psychologist. It is a standard procedure in the United Methodist Church’s certification/ordination process. I had to do a series of evaluation and then met with a psychologist to discuss the results. The psychologist that conducted the interview/assessment was very good and it was (oddly enough) an enjoyable experience. One of the first things he asked me when we sat down, however, surprised me. One of the first things he asked me was about the wristband on my wrist. The wristband on my wrist, I thought to myself. I had forgotten about the wristband that I had on my wrist. It was a LIVESTRONG bracelet and he asked me why I wore it. To be quite honest, I answered him with a basic answer, because I didn’t really know why I wore it, I just did. Well, a couple of nights ago I was taking a walk and it dawned on me why I wore this bracelet and I thought I would share its history and its meaning.
When I was a freshman in college, the LIVESTRONG bracelets came out to raise awareness and money for Lance Armstrong’s foundation that focused on cancer research. My mom bought me one of the bracelets because, 1) it was a dollar and 2) it was very much a popular thing to have and 3) it raised money for a very good cause. So I started to wear the bracelet and before I knew it, the bracelet never came off. The bracelet became a part of me and a part of my “fashion” sense. I wore it because it was cool and it was for a good cause so I thought, “I know enough people fighting cancer that I can easily wear this.” So, I wore it. In fact, I rarely took it off and when I did take it off (if I was officiating an athletic event), it always went into a pocket and it stayed with me.
This bracelet and I, over the years, have been through a lot together, and honestly, this bracelet has come to be a symbol of my life. This bracelet has been snapped and replaced, dirty and clean, sweaty and cold, oily and muddy. It’s been to weddings and funerals. It’s been with me during great baseball games and bad baseball games. This bracelet has been with me through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It has been with me through the most successful times of my life and the biggest defeats and let downs of my life. The bracelet has come to symbolize my life and it has begun to develop meaning.
So why do I wear it? Well, I wear it for multiple reasons, for multiple people. I wear it as a reminder of where I’ve been. I wear it as a reminder of where I am going. I wear it as a reminder of the great things. I wear it to remind me of the not so great things. I wear it to remind me of my family that loves me no matter what. I wear it to remind me that there are truly great friends and mentors in my life that care for me and love me even if I do some ill-advised things. I wear it as inspiration to keep going and persevere when the nights are long and the seminary papers seem to never end. I wear it as a reminder to pray, to spend time in devotion and prayer. I wear it as a reminder that God is always near and always present, even though sometimes it seems like God is far, far away.
It is nothing fancy, nothing exciting, and to be honest, you may have never noticed that I wear it. But over time, this bracelet has developed meaning and it has now become a part of my life, a part of my story, a part of who I am.
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