Circumstances

"Everybody has some choice, mother... People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them." -Vivie, Act 2, Mrs. Warren's Profession.

To some degree, your circumstances do affect you. For instance, a child born into a wealthy American family is going to have a very different life from a poor Indian child. But, your circumstances do not have to dictate how the rest of your life will turn out.

An example of this is Jimmy. Jimmy was my translator at the med clinic I worked in Kigali, Rwanda this summer. Jimmy is 19 years old and his parents and most of his extended family were killed in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Jimmy, and his brother were left orphaned and grew up partially on the streets and partially with extended family. Now, Jimmy speaks fluent English, which he taught himself, works with a church in Kigali, and is furthering his education. Jimmy's dream is to leave Rwanda and get a good job or continue his education. I have no doubt he will succeed because Jimmy has refused to let his circumstances dictate where he has gone and what he has done in his life.

You can rise above circumstances.

There are also people who are incredibly successful and apparently have everything they need and could ever want in life, and then, in a blink of an eye, their circumstances change and everything is gone.

Circumstances change.

Don't let your circumstances rule your life. Instead, put the rule of your circumstances into the hands of the one who will never change, Jesus Christ.