It seemed like the perfect, romantic evening. I held Curt’s arm as we strolled through the quaint little village in British Columbia. He took my hand and we watched the beautiful sunset reflect off the snow-capped mountains. I could only imagine what nearby onlookers were thinking.

Awww. Isn’t that sweet? Look at that couple. They must be so in love. 

And they would be partly right.

I do love my husband. But that’s not why I couldn’t keep my hands off of him. Truth was, I was having a bad MS day. I was tired. My body hurt and I felt weak. The pretty (but unsymmetrical) cobblestone streets constantly made me trip. I felt dizzy and I accidentally bumped into people.

This is my life with MS. Lesions on my brain wreak havoc on my body, which show up in a number of different, unpredictable ways. I’m learning to deal with it. But there’s one particular symptom I really hate. Tripping. Especially in public.

My neurologist says I have “foot drop,” which basically means it’s difficult for me to lift the front part of my right foot. This makes walking with dignity difficult. Now, if you add foot drop to a couple more symptoms, (like fatigue, blurred vision, loss of balance, numbness or tingling) walking normally becomes a real challenge.   

I hate tripping in front of people. It’s embarrassing. I feel clumsy. I look like a klutz.

A few weeks ago, I was climbing the gymnasium bleachers at my daughter’s band concert. I stumbled up the steps and totally lost my balance. I nearly landed in another mom’s lap.  

“I swear I’m not drunk.” I said with a nervous laugh.

During the concert, I began to think about it. The whole embarrassing incident could’ve been avoided if I would’ve just reached out and touched someone’s shoulder when I started to feel dizzy. I knew the people around me. I could’ve easily asked for a hand. But I didn’t want to touch anyone. I didn’t want help. And then it hit me. This was an issue of pride …Maybe I should worry less about the lesions on my brain and a little more about the condition of my heart.

It felt like God was sending me a message. “You need to let go of pride and learn how to lean on others.”  

Yep, sometimes I stumble. But how about you? Maybe you also have something that’s tripping you up in life right now. Do you need to let go of pride and learn how to lean on others? If so, take heart. You are not alone!

Sometimes we ask God to change our situation, not knowing He put us in the situation to change us.