Life, and Life Abundantly

“I want adventure in the great wide somewhere,

I want it more than I can tell,

And for once, it might be grand

To have someone understand

I want so much more

Than they’ve got planned…”

It is hard for me to believe that there was once a time when I went to school, and yet, it isn’t. The weight of a heavy backpack, the sleep-deprived nights, and my lack of proper hygiene are things that now feel foreign and familiar simultaneously.

While the world of academia is not one that I’m much used to anymore and while many of the things I learned and the books that I read have now slipped my mind entirely, I do remember what I turned to when I was down and stressed and felt lonely. I loved watching old Disney clips. Watching scenes from Aladdin, Pocohantas, and the Lion King drew out a longing in me, a longing for something more and greater. I missed my “mountain top” experiences with God and especially my times with Him in Africa. When I failed to spend time with Him, I would look to those movies and songs for hope and a reminder of His presence.

It has now been almost three years since I have graduated college, and I will say right now it has not been an easy three years. There have been many highs and many lows. There were numerous times I thought I would never be employed, and now, I have been working atCinemark Movie Bistro and XD , the newest movie theater in Fort Collins, for almost a year.

Yet, there have been many times lately when I have wanted to quit. I haven’t liked being the oldest usher working there, nor have I liked the way other customers have treated me from time to time. While I am grateful to be working, I haven’t liked the idea of “having balance” and having to possibly accept just working part-time jobs forever just to manage my schizophrenia.

You would think I would run down this path of pity, “run away, and never return.” Yet, if you know me, you know that in the long run, I’m not in the business of giving up and that God isn’t in the business of giving up on me.

Last weekend, I walked a short distance down to Old Town to watch “Life, Animated” a documentary about a guy with autism, Owen Suskind, whose special love for Disney movies helped him learn to communicate and find his place in the world. You would think I would like this movie because of how Owen and I share a love for films. To say the comparisons stopped at there, however, would be a massive understatement.

Owen memorized countless lines from many Disney films. He kept a massive collection of Disney VHS tapes. He struggled with losing things, like necklaces and medicine. He could start talking, if drawn in by movie references or movie quotes. He even found meaning in many of the Disney scenes I loved, particularly from The Lion King. Then, in the end, he even became bold enough to apply for a job at a local Regal Cinema movie theater, where he ended up becoming an usher, and yes, tore tickets.

That moment in the film, is one where I froze in my seat. It was where I realized and remembered that God had placed me in an environment where he wanted me to grow. Yes, it’s hard at times, to be looked down at or talked down to by others. Yet, instead of giving up, like Owen, I need to thrive and remember the truth…

John 10:10 ESV

10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Until Next Time Mzungus,

Jacobo