As a ten-year-old, I would spend hours playing with Barbies and digging in the dirt. Each day was like a summer night—seemingly endless and warm. While I can still enjoy sunsets, watermelon and even playing dolls with my niece, I see life through a different lens.
I may experience moments of bliss, but I’m no longer ignorant to the reality of the world around me. What I’ve discovered is that being “blissful” brings me more pain than coping with harsh issues in life. What I’ve challenged myself to do is to consciously educate myself about what is happening around me, and I challenge you to do the same. The five lessons I’ve learned are simple, but they’ve been life-changing.
1. There is no such thing as a “first-world problem.”
The phrase “first-world problem” makes my skin crawl. I understand that I am a petty human at times, but I hope that I focus more on real-life struggles than how cold I feel when I walk through the cold section in Wal-Mart. We can laugh at these petty struggles, but I don’t believe it’s healthy to complain about them on a daily basis. I also think this term minimizes the struggles that financially stable people endure. Depression, eating disorders and cancer do not choose people based on their income. Ignorance aside, a steady income does not make a person “okay” or not in need of a word of encouragement.
2. Scars are beautiful.
As a 13-year-old girl, I spent at least an hour getting ready for school every morning. As a 21-year-old, I spend a fourth of that time in front of the mirror. At some point in the past eight years, I finally understood that my body is literally only one aspect of who I am. On every commercial, I see countless images of airbrushed beauties—so trust me, I feel the pressure. But what I’ve discovered is beautiful is a cancer patient who has undergone surgery after surgery but who is still fighting to live and make memories with her family.
3. Good health should never be taken for granted.
As a teen, I also expended mental energy into how I could be thinner. I now look for ways I can be healthier. Right now, I do not have any health complications and I have the ability to run, swim, hike, jump, and skate. In many places, people do not have food security and diseases spread like wildfire among children and adults alike. I hope we all realize the value of our good health.
4. Media does not have to be your enemy.
Media welcomes the opportunity to be educated. Because of the First Amendment, we have access to public information, as well as the ability to share information ourselves. Personally, it is a challenge for me to stay up-to-date on what is happening not only in my community but also in other countries. Information runs rampant and my time between school and work is scarce. But let’s not forget to utilize our media outlets for the best. When I go online, I can either look at memes for an hour or I can read a few newsworthy articles that are relevant to people’s lives. Let’s try to more often choose the latter.
5. Only Christ can satisfy.
As much as I miss the days of bliss, I still find satisfaction in knowing Jesus Christ. Regardless of what is going on around me or within me, I know I can place my confidence in a God who is all-knowing; a God who puts my anxieties to rest. 2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
I’m not a blissful little girl anymore, but I am valued by Christ.
“By the one who's strong, can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry, all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light, He will show you truth
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl.”
–Jonny Diaz
