The story of the coin

Struggle builds warriors.

My son likes coins. He collects them, takes them willingly when others offer and doesn’t hesitate to pick them up off the ground. He’s been teaching me some good lessons lately. 

We were out and about and he found a quarter wedged between some candy machines. He, of course, found a way to retrieve it.  But, after putting the coin in his pocket and sitting down beside me we heard a faint chink of metal on concrete and the coin was gone. I could see his struggle was building him.

He stopped. He had to find his coin. It was pitch black and we were in theatre seats getting ready to watch a movie. I told him he had minutes to look. 

On hands and knees with my phone light he started searching. First, he came up with a nickel. Then, he found the quarter.  

Yes, struggle builds warriors, and he was one.

I told him to remember this moment … to remember that when you lose something you have the opportunity to look for what you gain. 

It’s easy to see loss and think life has been taken from us, that we’ve been stolen from or that the things that aren’t going right are there to make us miserable. But, what if those are the things that are meant to make us look for the treasures. What if we’re on the ground so we can find our greatest gifts?

Struggle also:

+ reveals warriors

+reveals weakness AND …

+shows us what we really believe.

Struggle lets us know what kind of warrior we are.

But, when we’re on the ground and we see the treasure that’s in the dust … then when we know what we’re made of.

Our triumphs are important, but when we falter we have the opportunity to become stronger. It’s not given, of course, but if we’re looking for the opportunity we’ll become diamonds.