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Proverbs 25 Inchstones is a powerful lesson on gratitude, focus, patience, self-control, and recognizing love when life doesn’t give you what you want, when you want it. In this deeply personal story, Kelly Cardenas shares the childhood moment when he received the “wrong” roller skates—and how that embarrassing reaction ultimately taught him one of life’s most important lessons: it’s not that we lack focus; we’re often focused on the wrong thing.
All I wanted were the black leather roller skates with the fat, off-white wheels from the skating rink. Instead, my mom gave me the off-brand Vera Flex skates—and I reacted like a jerk.
Years later, I see that moment completely differently.
My mom and my Pops were separated. She was working 16–18 hours a day to support herself and three kids. She had just upgraded us to a beautiful two-bedroom apartment, and despite everything she was carrying, she still wanted to give her son something special for his birthday.
I was focused on the skates.
She was focused on loving me.
That distinction changes everything.
In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we explore Proverbs 25 and the connection between focus, gratitude, patience, prudence, diligence, self-control, humility, timing, relationships, faith, and personal growth.
Proverbs 25 reminds us that purification can happen in the fire, that we don't need to chase validation, that our words can speak life, and that patience, prudence, and diligence can transform the way we respond to life's disappointments.
But the biggest lesson may be this:
It's not that we lack focus. It's that we are often focused on the wrong thing.
When you don't get what you want, when you want it, from someone you love, pause.
Before you focus on the disappointment, focus on the relationship.
Before you focus on what you didn't receive, focus on what was given.
Before you react, ask yourself:
“What am I focusing on right now?”
Because sometimes the thing we think is a disappointment is actually an expression of love we weren't mature enough to recognize yet.
And sometimes the blessing isn't in getting what you wanted.
Sometimes the blessing is finally understanding what you already had.
Thanks for the skates, Mama. I finally understand what they were.
They weren't Vera Flex skates.
They were love with wheels.
• Proverbs 25 and the power of focus
• The difference between gratitude and entitlement
• How disappointment reveals what's inside us
• Why God's timing doesn't always match our timing
• Patience, prudence, and diligence
• Self-control and emotional reactions
• Why third-party validation isn't necessary
• The power of speaking life
• How to recognize love in unexpected forms
• What to do when you don't get what you want
• Turning childhood lessons into lifelong Inchstones
• Faith, gratitude, relationships, and personal growth
When you don't get what you want, when you want it, from someone you love, pause before you react. Shift your focus from what you didn't receive to the love that was being expressed.
The VIBE isn't the energy you bring into the room.
It's the way people feel when you leave.
Subscribe to The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas for conversations, stories, leadership lessons, faith, personal growth, business wisdom, and Inchstones designed to help you live with more Heart, Mind, and Skills.
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