I was asked last week to give my testimony in our weekly staff meetings. When preparing for it I really didn't know what to say. I feel like my story isn't that interesting. I feel like I don't have this story that grips your heart & makes you ponder the meaning of life afterwards. It's just me. After giving my story to our staff, I was met with so much praise & amazement it blew me away. So many people said I moved them to tears in my story. Many said they couldn't believe I had been through so much. I was simply shocked when I stopped & thought about it how much I really have accomplished in my life & what I have been through. Seeing your life is a thing of perspective. It's what you put into it that you will get out. It's what you expect that you will have opportunities for. It's what you seek that you will find. Many people have called me a "complex" man in my life. Many have said I have way too many layers for a man. You know what though? At the end of the day all I can be is....well, ME! So I thought I would write out a few highlights of my story that I shared with the staff:
- I was born into a loving family with 2 present parents & 4 older sisters.
- Basketball was, is, & will continue to be a huge driving passion in life.
- I had numerous scholarships to play college basketball prior to ruining my playing career by fully tearing almost every major ligament & cartilage in my left knee.
- I ran a multi-million dollar company at the age of 19 & hired/fired people twice my age. I successfully completed a sell & consolidation of two corporations as well as provide for my parents during my Father's lengthy cancer fighting treatment.
- I was married at the age of 22 & had my first child at the age of 24.
My name is Robby David Gilliam. No one can take who I am away from me. Everything that I have gone through has made me who I am. I am who I am today through the many ups & downs that life has thrown my way. I am many things to many people. I carry a title of Husband, Friend, Brother, Son, Grandson, Dad, Coach, Sir, Director, Worship Leader, Colleague, & most of all Robby. Life is a thing of perspective. It is good if you choose to see the positive & stretching going on in your life. It is bad if you choose to look at the negative & have pity on yourself. It is boring if you choose to let life come to you instead or going after life.
What is your perspective? Where do you find your joy? If someone were to look at your life through your eyes...what would they see?
I leave this with 2 comments:
If you do not look at things on a large scale, it will be difficult to master strategy.
Leaders don't wait. They shape their own frontiers. The bigger the challenge, the greater the opportunity.
As many of you may know I have been struggling with massive ear infections for over 2 years now. They start as your typical "swimmers ear" & by the time they are done transform into the most painful inner ear infection where my ear drum feels as if it is bursting. With many at home remedies & antibiotics the infection subsides only long enough to jump to my other ear. This cycle has happened on & off for 2 years now & I finally had about enough. I went to the doctor 2 weeks ago & she was shocked & rather amazed at how my ears looked. Most people have a protective lining before your ear drum that is white & round shaped on the outside (see picture above). Mine, however, was red & purple as well as many crater looking gaps in it. My doctor was rather conserned & her assessment was either I have a degenerate disease where I will eventually lose my hearing or there is some sort of tumor there based on what she saw. She was not guessing, she was rather mater of fact & shocked I was living with this pain.
I went to see an ear specialist yesterday. I had many, many people praying for me before & during the whole appointment. Sara & I were expecting the worst & hoping for the best. After carefully looking & many "hmmm's" later, the doctor told me my ear drum is still not perfect but appears to be healing itself. It is starting to go back to normal & gave me some medication to complete the process. Whether natural or divine healing, I completely feel blessed to have escaped what could have been here. It was a painful journey & as little as a week ago the pain was almost unbearable at moments. Now...no pain. I haven't had a flair up in 7 days now & I am looking forward to a normal hearing life now!
Allison is growing so big. She is changing everyday & becoming so much fun. She is starting to talk often & wants to play whenever she is awake. She is making her Mom & Dad very proud every day!
Her precious little feet are quiet now, but soon will be walking everywhere. It changes your perspective as a parent when you think about making where you child walks a little easier then you had it. Trying to have your ceiling be their floor. Sara & I are trying to give Allison the very best & let her experience every possibility that comes to her.
Have a great weekend everyone!
