Have you ever asked yourself “why do I have so many problems?” Or have you ever met somebody that always had so many problems? I found a great quote on the subject in the book [1] Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah:

There’s no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in it’s hand. You seek problems because you need their gifts.

In my travels, I found out that the big problems I had in my life helped make me into the man I am today. When I was 19 I found out that I had a brain tumor. The doctor said it was the size of a pea and was probably the cause of the epileptic seizures I’d been experiencing for the last 3 years. At the moment the doctor told me, I was able to find the positive in my situation in that at least I knew why I was having the seizures. And this helped me realize how I’d been taking life for granted. We decided not to operate and to try to control the seizures with medication.

In the next few years my seizures got worse. And the medication had me sleeping 12 hours a day. I was going to Arizona State University and dropped out because my grades were slipping and I found it hard to concentrate. I also stopped driving because it was too dangerous with my seizures. My quality of life had gotten pretty bad so I decided it was time to operate.

Soon after my 22nd birthday, I checked into the hospital. I there for 13 days and had 2 surgeries, one to locate the tumor, and the other to remove it. After the first surgery, I began to lose control of my left leg. Then it became completely paralyzed. This was extremely difficult to deal with. Why was this happening to me? Then my right leg and hand began to lose feeling. So they decided to remove the tumor. They were confident they had gotten it all. If they missed some, it could grow back. But I was still paralyzed in my left leg. On the second day after the second surgery, I was looking looking at my toe, hoping I could move it. And then it moved!

After a month of physical therapy, I was mountain biking and had a new lease on life. This whole so called problem was actually a gift in desguise! Life is so precious and I had been taking every day for granted. I was taking my health for granted. I was taking the use of my legs for granted.

Now when I run into stumbling blocks, I look for the gift inside. I know it’s there, I just have to find it. I’ll be living life at a certain level, run into problems and go down a notch, then find an answer to the problem and move up 2 notches. It’s really a great way to live. The things that would tear so many people down, make me a better more positive person. They advance my soul…