Do circumstances define you, or do you define your circumstances?

A couple years ago I traveled to the Favelas (slums) of Sao Paulo Brazil with a small team of individuals.  Our church has a partnership with an organization called Restoration Ministries down there and our six person team got to serve along side them for 10 days.  The first couple days were the hardest as we went into some pretty dangerous neighborhoods.  These are places where there is much violence, drug dealing, and darkness.  I was told that as long as we stayed in groups and identified ourselves with Restoration Ministries, we had nothing to worry about.  The ministry had an arrangement with the drug lords in four neighborhoods, which allowed us to go in and spend time with the families and children who lived in these areas.  We would spend the morning conducting a 90-minute program for the children performing songs and playing games, we had a lot of fun.  We then walked the streets and visited the homes of these children to form a connection with the entire family, which then allowed us to care for needs that they had.  We met a lot of people, prayed continuously, and felt more love from the impoverished than by most people you’d run into here in the US.  One thing I learned (in addition to God’s grace) is that circumstances do not define who we are. 

We met a woman who must have been in her 60’s that found out a member on our team was having a birthday.  She told us (though a translator) to come back in two hours for cake.  We came back later that afternoon, and this wonderful person who lived in a tiny dwelling, went to all her neighbors until she had what she needed to make a cake.  Her home was very dirty and probably far from being FDA compliant – but she produced a birthday cake.  One thing I learned in a course on mission work is that it’s very rude to reject something that is being offered to you while you’re in someone’s home.  So we ate – and it was great.  I believe what made this one of the best birthday cakes I’ve ever had was not the cake itself, but by the care and thoughtfulness of the one who gave it to us.  She was smiling and singing and so happy that we were there that her exuberance was contagious! 

What's defining you and how canyou change your outlook on uncertainty and struggle?