A Fire in the Belly

Sep 1, 2014 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

 

For the last few months I have been wrestling with a question. You see, I have 2 friends who have faced adversity in opposite ways.

One came out of a difficult childhood living in a poor country. She got herself and her daughter to the US. She has got a wonderful job with a lot of responsibility, bought a home and this fall is starting to work on her college degree. She made a life for herself.

My other friend, however, who also came from a difficult upbringing made very different choices. He is currently in jail facing a possible second prison sentence.

My question is, “Why do some people have a fire in their belly that pulls them up out of difficult circumstances and some people don’t?”

And then our daughter posted this video of our 8-month-old granddaughter, Adelyn Ruth.

http://youtu.be/4F7ZycA2C_8

 

And it came to me. We all start out with a fire in our belly. Unless there is some physical problem, every baby struggles through learning how to crawl. All about the globe little ones want to become mobile.

They start with rolling, then usually an army crawl.

Next they realize that they can get up on their knees.

After a few face-plants, they realize that their hands and knees can work together, and they are now free to move from point A to Point B.

But that fire doesn’t stop there.

That baby then starts pulling themselves up to things because they want to get higher to reach the good stuff.

Then they slowly realize that they can let go and walk on their own two feet.

Now they are just a few steps away from full-on running.

You see every human being has a drive within them to accomplish, to succeed. It’s just that somewhere along the way, they forgot.

We as parents, spouses, and friends need to keep telling those people around us, those people we love, that they still can do it, whatever that is. There is nothing that can stop them. They still have a fire in their belly – it just needs rekindling. And if they don’t believe you, tell them again and again until they do believe. The fire does not have to die; it just needs new life.

Who do you know who needs reminding that they have a fire in their belly?

~ Jim and Jerolyn