Remember Who You Are

Shame and guilt get to every one of us at some point in our lives. Some of us more than others.

And sometimes, we believe the lies they tell us.

So we do what humans often do best…

We run. And we hide.

We bury those parts of ourselves beneath the dirt, hoping they never see the light of day again.

Growing up, The Lion King was by far my favorite movie. As a kid, I cried every single time Mufasa died.

But as an adult, I relate a whole lot more to Simba.

Simba believed the lies Scar told him. He blamed himself for his father’s death, and instead of facing it, he ran.

He ran so far that he created an entirely new identity. His best friends, Timon and Pumbaa, didn’t even know who he really was.

He was a king who had forgotten he was a king.

I think a lot of us do the same thing.

The Iron Pit

Growing up in Bloomington, football was everything.

You started in second grade and didn't stop until you reached the pinnacle: Friday night lights.

Weight training started for me in middle school. I would ride the bus across town from the middle school to the high school and then walk about a mile to a place called the Iron Pit Gym.

That was where I fell in love with the iron.

For a self-conscious fat kid, the gym was a pretty nice escape.

The iron didn't pick on you.

It didn't make fun of your jiggle.

It didn't care what you looked like.

You either picked it up or you didn't.

By my senior year, all those years of training had paid off. I was one of the strongest guys on the team.

I was also one of the slowest…but we'll leave that part alone.

Finally, I had reached what I had worked toward for years.

I was a first-string starting offensive lineman.

All summer, I was the guy.

I was going to have the senior football season I had dreamed about since I was a little kid. I was going to be a great football player, just like my brother.

Then it happened.

Right before the actual season began, my offensive line coach pulled me aside before practice.

He told me I had lost my starting spot.

I was crushed.

It felt like my entire world collapsed.

That season, I got very little playing time. And when you're a kid who has spent years dreaming about your senior season—every practice, every lift, every time you put on that helmet—it hurts when that dream doesn't happen.

Eventually, I simply gave up.

Because somewhere inside of me, a little piece of my identity died.

The What-Ifs

Recently, my mom brought over some scrapbooks from my high school football career.

She had no idea what seeing those old pictures would do to me.

As I flipped through the pages, the same shame and guilt came flooding back.

What if I had tried harder?

What if I had eaten cleaner that offseason?

What if I had run the extra sprints?

What if I hadn't given up?

The what-ifs can drive us insane if we let them.

That's why one of my favorite scenes in The Lion King means so much more to me now than it ever did as a kid.

Rafiki takes Simba to see his father.

And Mufasa tells him:

“Remember who you are.”

Man, that hits differently as an adult.

What Makes Someone Successful?

Today, from the outside looking in, I suppose I look pretty successful.

I own a large chiropractic clinic.

I've lost a ton of weight.

I've built a life I'm proud of.

And I even have a hot wife.

But do any of those things actually make me successful?

Was I successful when I opened the doors to my practice?

Was it when I saw my first patient?

Was it when I lost my first pound?

Or maybe success started much earlier.

Maybe success begins the moment you're willing to take that first leap of faith.

The moment you stop running.

The moment you stop hiding.

The moment you decide to remember who you are.

Come As You Are

That's one of the things I love most about Jesus.

Jesus doesn't say, “Come to me once you've gotten your act together.”

He simply says, come.

Bring the guilt.

Bring the shame.

Bring the mistakes.

Bring the baggage.

Bring the parts of yourself you've tried to bury.

Bring all of you.

Because there are so many people walking around carrying incredibly heavy burdens while appearing perfectly fine on the outside.

Some are exhausted.

Some are discouraged.

Some have stopped believing they can change.

Some are standing on the brink of giving up on themselves.

And sometimes, what they need most is another person who refuses to give up on them.

Remember Who You Are

That's something we try very hard to do here at Mosier Family Chiropractic.

We intentionally focus on the details of our patients' care. We stay diligent. We pay attention. We celebrate the little victories because we know those little victories eventually become big ones.

Not because we're the heroes of anyone's story.

But because sometimes people need someone in their corner long enough for them to start believing in themselves again.

That's what family does.

And when you've got family in your corner, it's a whole lot harder to give up on yourself.

Maybe that's something all of us can do a little better.

Look around.

Pay attention.

Encourage somebody.

Believe in somebody when they're struggling to believe in themselves.

Remind them that their worst moment isn't their identity.

Their failure isn't their identity.

Their weight isn't their identity.

Their pain isn't their identity.

Their past isn't their identity.

And maybe, every once in a while, we can be a little like Rafiki for one another.

Point each other back toward the truth.

Remember who you are.

And maybe we can remind each other of something else, too:

You were created for more than simply getting through the day.

You were created to live.

You were created to grow.

You were created to heal.

And sometimes you just need someone in your corner to help you remember.

Your friend,

Dr. Mosier