Everyone Has to Be Somewhere

“Everyone has to be somewhere. I’m here, and it’s okay.” My friend, Dr. Ralph M. Smith, earned the right to say those words. He battled Guillain-Barre Syndrome for 13 months, beginning one night when he fell beside his bed. Within hours he found himself trapped in a body over which he had no control. Aware of everything taking place around him, yet he found his abilities reduced to opening and closing his eyes. Only after overcoming the neurological syndrome did he tell his story in You Can’t Fall Off the Floor.  

Your “Somewhere” Is Okay

When the people of Kowloon International Baptist Church, Hong Kong, approached me about being their pastor, I spoke with Dr. Smith. Hong Kong is a long way from the part of the world I knew. Since I grew up in Texas, I enjoyed space. No one called Hong Kong a spacious city. Dr. Smith smiled as I raised my questions. Then he said, “Harry, when I was trapped in my body because of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, I came to realize, ‘Everyone has to be somewhere. I’m here, and it’s okay.’”

Not until I read his book did I realize the depth of what he was saying. A friend labeled his illness as “a mind imprisoned in a body.” One day he had a flu shot. Soon after, his immune system when haywire. Then, his peripheral nervous system malfunctioned, sending him into complete paralysis. In a few hours, his hectic world shrunk to the size of a hospital room. Consequently, the demands of his role as a large church pastor took a backseat to his efforts to stay alive.

Choose Your Focus

What can you do to stay alive when you can only open and close your eyes? You work on your mind. Dr. Smith had to overcome the downward spiral of his attitude. So, he made himself stay alert. Optimism once marked his ministry. But strapped to the bed, wired to machines, and trapped in a room, depression sought to destroy him. Staying positive gave new meaning to “mind over matter.” And he refused to ask unanswerable questions. Guillain-Barre Syndrome gives its victims plenty of opportunities to ask the inevitable questions since much about it is unknown. Of course, “Why?” became a battle. All his life, he had avoided “why” because every “why” raises another “why.”  Instead, “What can I do now?” became his focus. 

Make the Most of Where You Are

Dr. Smith survived and learned to eat, walk, drive, and redefine productivity. His journey with Guillain-Barre required him to make significant life adjustments. Likewise, the COVID-19 pandemic has initiated many changes to life as we know it. We struggle with confinement. We have encountered a variety of reports about what is taking place. Nevertheless, the unknowns appear to outnumber the knowns in this virus. Plans developed as recently as January hold no meaning. Lost jobs have led to financial issues that raise growing alarms. Rattled nerves cause painful reactions in close relationships. Issues long covered seep to the surface of conversations. We want space. We look for something to divert our attention from the next negative announcement. Blaming fingers join accusing tongues as we try to find our way through this.

What can we do? We can recognize, “Everyone has to be somewhere. I’m here, and it’s okay.” Admittedly, we want to be positive. We want to guard against depression. As we choose a positive attitude, we also need to guard our self-talk.  Negative self-talk feeds depression. Discipline yourself to take captive every thought for Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Likewise, getting stuck on unanswerable questions only leads to frustration. Finally, do what you can do to make the best of today.