Growing up dyslexic was a challenging journey. School was a struggle from beginning to end. Reading was unbelievably difficult. I had to recognize the letters, then the words, and finally figure out what they meant.
Furthermore, back in the day, we also wrote everything in cursive. Every day, the moving of that pencil across those lined pieces of paper was dificult. I had to go slowly and still I did not get them right. I always was struggling. Whether I was reading to myself, reading out loud to the class, or writing with paper and pencil, each lesson was a challenge and often a source of great discouragement.
The one person who heard all about this was my late mother. On the ride home from school, or over an afternoon snack at the kitchen table, I would pour out my frustrations to her about school and life. I did not know what to do or how to cope. School just kept happening. I was trying my best and many days it was clearly not making a difference.
One day, after a lot of listening to me she shared the following.
“Life is not easy, Geery. You can carry all of your problems around like they are stones in your pocket. And over time, they will just weigh you down.
Or you can learn to take these stones out of your pocket and lay them down. You need to learn to let go of them and let God help you with them.”
And with that, I had a new way of coping. I could just “let go and let God help me.” Over time, I shortened her comments to simply “let go; let God.” At times, I still struggle with my dyslexia but I do not carry it around like stones in my pocket. I have learned to lay it down and let God help. My late mother sure could put things back into perspective. And that is one of the powerful things that a good role model and mentor does for people.
This week, stop carrying your problems around like stones in your pocket. It is time to lay them down and put them into the hands of a higher power. From personal experience, I can assure you that it will make a difference.
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