"You Get What You Get and You Don't Pitch a Fit"

     We are always excited when our granddaughter Ivy gets to come down from Virginia to visit. Never often enough, and always too soon when she has to go back home. One of the great things about little Miss Ivy's stays is she always leaves us with a sweet little chuckle as we reminisce over the things she says or the way she conducts herself in such a matter of fact way. Always quick to share her takeaways or little euphemisms, Ivy never fails to leave me with something to reflect on and in this case share with you today.
    Ivy has two brothers and a sister back up in Amelia, Virginia and I'm sure with four kids their mom doesn't have a great deal of room for the kids to be finicky when it comes to dinner. Well that point was highlighted one evening as we sat down for dinner and someone sitting around the table commented that they weren't particularly fond of the meal we were having that night. Without even giving it a thought Ivy popped out with "You get what you get, and you don't pitch a fit!" resulting in everyone around the table bursting out in laughter. That memory always brings a smile to my face, and resonates well with our thought for today's FTM.
      No, we aren't going to be talking about eating whatever it is that is placed in front of you for dinner tonight without complaining, although that is probably something we should practice. Instead, our time today is more about accepting the plate that we have been handed in life and thriving through our circumstances not wallowing in them and never moving forward; enter one Dr. Morgan Stansberry.
      Morgan was a student of mine when I was an English teacher at East Ridge Middle School a number of years ago. I can attest to it being a number of years ago, because Dr. Stansberry has just completed the doctorate program in audiology at LSU recently and will be working in conjunction with the university's program as she moves forward. Time doesn’t sit still. In middle school, it was obvious that Morgan was a driven student, honor roll, cheerleader, and all around leader among her peers. From my recollections, Morgan had set her goals early in life and a career in the field of audiology was her chosen path. Some in our reading audience may know Morgan from their own years of teaching, but I am going to guess that the majority of our reading audience may not have had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Stansberry, so it is appropriate that I share one small detail about Morgan that raises the bar on her outstanding accomplishment of completing a doctoral program in audiology.
      When I first met Morgan, it was in a meeting with our school system's audiologist and a team of her teachers, parents, and other related staff members. We were being informed and educated on how to utilize a speaker/amplifier system in our classrooms that would connect to a device that Morgan would be wearing in her ear. We were told that Morgan had a cochlear disorder that impacted her hearing and the amplification system was necessary for her to hear the classroom lecture and directions for any assignments being made. Morgan quickly "trained" me on how to utilize this tool and was always quick to remind me that the speaker was on when I might be engaged in a conversation with another teacher that she might not need to be privy to the details.
    Oh yeah, remember Morgan's latest accomplishment? Dr. Morgan Stansberry. That's right Morgan is the prime example of what little Ivy was professing at the dinner table, and it is a truly fitting tag line for Morgan's situation in life and most certainly is applicable in each of our own lives each and every day. "You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit." We are not guaranteed that life is going to be completely laid out for us the way we might envision life as we suppose it will be. Morgan's situation was an early diagnosis of a progressive hearing loss, she took that diagnosis and set a goal in life to help others with hearing loss diseases. One word sums that decision up, AMAZING! Words cannot describe the joy I felt when her father recently informed me of this milestone accomplishment his daughter had achieved. To take on what she had been handed as a young child was asking a great deal, but for Morgan to take what many might label a disability and turn it into a lifelong passion in helping others takes an extra special degree of taking what you get and not pitching a fit! Proud of Morgan and her accomplishments to date, can't wait to see where she goes next!
     You have been handed potential setbacks in life. You may very well be facing a challenge in life right now that you just want to scream out "this isn't fair." To which I would humbly agree it most certainly isn't "fair". But, we weren't promised fair, we weren't promised a clear path with no obstacles along the way. Maybe your challenge isn't health related, it could be relational, financial, or maybe it isn't even you but instead a family member that is in the midst of a situation that is testing your resilience and perseverance. I would say to you something that may sound harsh to some, but here it goes, "You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit!"
     God made you just the way He wanted you to be made. He doesn't make mistakes. You received the situation or the circumstance you have, because God has a purpose for your life and it isn't necessarily all about you. Your purpose is about how you can impact the lives of others through the life you have been given to live. In Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 Solomon shares this insight, "I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God." To be happy, content, in your toil and find satisfaction with your life's particular set of circumstances, is a gift from God. A gift you can have today. The apostle Paul said that he had learned to be content in whatever circumstance he happened to find himself at the time. "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:12. To accomplish this and to do it well just like Morgan has, you can't do it alone. Having a faith in something bigger than yourself is critical. If you are facing a situation in your life and you want to embrace the "you don't pitch a fit" mentality, you will need someone to call on when the going gets tough. We don't have to face life's challenges by ourselves. A true companion is readily available to walk each step of the way with you. My prayer is that you won't try to go it alone in your own struggles and that even when it looks like life has given you a bag full of lemons you will fully be prepared to make an overflowing gallon of sweet lemonade! Take what you get and don't pitch a fit. You'll be surprised where God will take you with a willing attitude and a never say quit attitude!
Coach Carter