A Teenage Inspiration

I met a kid this week that should be an inspiration to us all. His name is Colin. Colin turned 16 just weeks ago. A few months prior, Colin went in to have his tonsils removed and the doctors found a rare type of cancer in his throat. Colin has since had surgery on his throat, has lost all his hair, is undergoing chemotherapy, and doesn't know whether or not the doctors are getting all the cancer. This remarkable teen is facing death, and you would never know by talking to him.
I had the opportunity of talking with this home schooled teen for a little while while climbing over rocks and petrified sand dunes, and roasting hot dogs over a camp fire. I can honestly say that I forgot that he had cancer until he removed his hat; showing a bald head. Colin talked about everything from hunting to playing in the sand. He made reference to "...I had hair then..." like it was no big deal; as if he just up and decided to shave it all off. He loves to snowboard and do flips on the trampoline. Colin hardly ever lets the chemo slow him down. In fact, Colin had a chemo treatment just a couple days before we met up with him in Snow Canyon. After a day of sleeping off the intense treatments, he was ready to show us lava tubes and crawl around on his hands and knees in the dark on pointed rocks with flashlights as the only light source.
Meeting Colin was a real eye-opener for me. Just the morning before, I was feeling depressed and sorry for myself because I had to move recently and be ripped away from all my friends. I had a major attitude problem because I thought I was going through the worst thing I could ever experience. Wow...I was wrong!
We all have things in our lives that we wish weren't happening, or that we want to change; but not many of us are staring death in the face. And I'm willing to bet that if we were, most of us wouldn't be as joyful about it as Colin. I know I wouldn't be.
I've been challenged by Colin's outstanding testimony to see the good in life. To trust God in all circumstances...the good and the really bad. If Colin can be as happy as he is, after finding out that he has a rare cancer at the age of 15, I think I can deal with some of the "problems" in my life with a little more grace. I want to let the light of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus shine through me as brightly as it's shining through my new found friend, Colin.