I’ve heard and actually one my share of sharing for the local Christian community I belong to, Singles For Christ. Sometimes you hear about people giving testimonies about their lives. Some of it consists of peaks and valleys. Meaning extreme highs and extreme lows.
Sometimes you hear people’s stories of tremendous acts of faith and goodness that really inspire you to do your best. One particular story I like best is from Dylan Wilk. Dylan would eventually become a good friend of mine.
I still remember the first night I met him, many many years ago. It was during a Christian Life Program and both of us were invited to speak. I was seated beside him. Dylan was very unassuming. He exchanged pleasantries but nothing more than that at first. I gave my talk first. It ended up being a good thing because I don’t think I would have mustered enough courage to speak after him.
Dylan talked about his life in the UK. He came from nothing and became a millionaire. He enjoyed the high-life only to realize that he wasn’t happy. He found happiness here in the Philippines when he learned about Gawad Kalinga. He gave up most of his wealth after and donated it to Gawad Kalinga and for a time built-homes for the poor.
Dylan would eventually settle down here in the Philippines. He would marry Anna, one of my friends. They now have a social enterprise here called Human Nature.
His is a story that is matched by very few. Remarkable and Inspiring! I honestly don’t think I could do what he did.
On the other end of the spectrum I would hear stories of extreme lows, people who came from the gutter. There are stories of people who either strived through immense hardships or lived a life of great sin.
Theirs is a tale of pulling themselves out of the gutter and changing their lives for the better. I’ve heard stories of former gang members and criminals who would change their lives and even study to become officers of the law. Remarkable and Inspiring!
These are special kind of people. These are stories that truly deserve to be told and draw inspiration from.
That’s why sometimes I find myself questioning why people would like to hear my story. Sure I suffer through an illness but in the greater scheme of things I never thought of it as something as tremendous as their stories.
However I think that most people can also benefit from hearing stories about ordinary people as well. The above-mentioned inspiring individuals usually live lifes of peaks and valleys. They either do something so tremendous that it’s way up there or come from a valley so deep you would really be amazed how they made it out.
Most people though live lives of ripples. The ups and downs of their lives aren’t as drastic but similar to ripples, a little high and a little low.
Most people need to hear stories that they can relate to as well. For the most part I think that’s what my life is. Apart from the illness most of the issues I go through are ripples compared to others. I feel bad about small things and I get to do things that are good as well but not necessarily life changing.
I think most people need to connect to other people who also go through life in ripples. Maybe they listen to me because I’m just in a different package. I’m slightly different therefore a little interesting but they can connect as well because most of the things I have problems with are ordinary issues like family, work, friends, it’s just in my context and therefore just makes it a little more interesting.
My life is not peaks and valleys. I haven’t done life altering things that books should be written about or awards given to. I also have not come from a life of great despair. For the most part and if you take out the illness my life is pretty much ordinary. That’s ok too. I think people appreciate hearing stories of ordinary people as well and relate to it.
