Hold up your light

Last year, September 13-14, 2013, I went to the START Conference hosted by Jon Acuff.  It was in Brentwood, TN right outside Nashville.  It was an awesome time, with great people that Jon brought in. If you don't know who Jon, he is a motivational speaker based in Nashville.  He has written four books, including his most recent, Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average & Do Work that Matters. He speaks to groups of people in various settings about chasing after their dreams and doing what they love to do, whether it be in their job or a hobby.  He he has two blogs, one which is SCL aka Stuff Christians Like, which is hilarious to read, and I will post it at the end on here.  His other is on his website Acuff.me, which does have some humor intertwined, but most of it is challenging and encouraging people to do what God has given them the ability to do and a passion for.

Prior to what Jon does now, he had various jobs and talks a lot about fear, and how he had to punch it in the face and begin the journey of what he loves doing now.  Friday night, the first night, there was one part, where we were handed finger lights (which I still have in my car) and the lights were turned out where we were.  Jon asked several different questions related to fear, that were also put up on the big screen for everyone to see.  There was between 500-600 people at this conference.  Every question that was asked related to chasing a dream or doing something you loved, and how fear played a role in that, the entire room raised their hand.  It was amazing to see that number of people raise their hand each time a question about fear was asked.  It also reminded me, that I was not alone, and together we could help each other overcome and keep going.

Now, you are probably wondering, what does any of this have to do with what your blog is actually about, and I will get to that now?  For my own personal story, when it comes to fear, there are different ways that it comes into play.  I think whenever you are doing something you love or working towards a goal, you have to have support from other people.  For me with my dad being gone, part of that is gone. I will always remember the love and support he gave me, while I was growing up, and I will cherish and carry that with me for the rest of my life.  With him being gone though, I can't pick up the phone to call and talk to him or go drive to see him and physically be around him.  Even though, I still have most of my immediate family, I think when you lose someone that is such a closed loved, you still want their advice and just to talk to them.  And I know that people say that time heals and I do believe that God is healing me each day, even though it feels very slow, but it is still tough every day.

If you are reading this, and it is a rough time right now for you, you might be saying, Patrick you don't even know me or my circumstance.  You are right, I don't, but what I do know is that I have been through some tough stuff.  And every time, I just want to lie down and wake up and everything go back to normal, and my dad be around, I just try to keep going.  Every time, that I just want to give up, I think about what my dad went through, and I know that I will be okay.  That's the other thing, if someone you love is or has gone through a lot, let that encourage you or keep you going.  Probably the most important thing though is when you feel crushed or you are trying to be courageous through a tough time, sometimes you just need to let God fight for you.  We think a lot that we have to be Superman, and we have to be strong, which I struggle with that everyday, but let other people in and have them help as you go through this period of time.

Here are the links to Jon Acuff's blogs:

http://acuff.me/

http://stuffchristianslike.net/

Thanks for reading and God Bless,

Patrick Mastrianni

Great Reminder

Two weeks ago on Tuesday, August 19, 2014, I gave my Icebreaker speech, at the Toastmasters club I am in.  Man, it was great!!  The week leading up, I was preparing each night.  Tuesday night finally came, and I gave it and thankfully got a good response.  At the end of the meeting, one of the other members evaluated my speech.  They told me the areas that I could improve in.  They also told me what I did well, and it was nice to have a confidence booster going into my next speech.  Being your own worst critic, immediately after the speech, you think of things you should have said or what you could have done differently.

Another member did their first speech, and she and I talked afterward for a while.  I talked to her more about my dad and what he went through.  I told her that it is still hard with him being gone.  That it is hard to talk about what he and my family went through, because there is pain that will never go away. But that it really is an honor to talk about what he went through, and talking about it will be helpful along the way.  She then started to talk about her childhood, and how her brother got polio when he was 18 months old, and she was six years old at the time. After going to a Children's Hospital near where they lived, and different treatments, she said they pulled him through.  At the time, even with coming through it, he had to relearn how to do basic everyday functions.  After going through all this, shortly afterward they found out he had acute lymphatic cancer, and died soon after at the age of 4.  At the time she was 10, saying that she was like a mother to her other siblings, and now years later, she still thinks about him all the time.  She says that as time has passed, she has been able to process everything, but she misses her brother everyday.

While talking to her and once I left the meeting for the night, God reminded me that I am not alone. That there are other people that have been through tough life situations.  I know this sounds selfish, but I find myself in this mindset many times.  I get upset with God that my dad is no longer here and that he had to go through all that he did.  Thankfully, he understands and helps me get through it, when I do struggle with it.  Through this, he also reminds me and shows that there are other people that need someone to talk to.  If you are reading this, and you are having a hard going through your circumstance, that's okay. Don't think that you have to go through it alone.  God wants to help you get through it, and put people in your life that will help you get through it.






I want to thank my friend for sharing her story with me and letting me share it with you.


Thanks for reading and God Bless,

Patrick Mastrianni