We do not succeed in changing things according to our desire, but gradually our desire changes. The situation that we hoped to change because it was intolerable becomes unimportant. — Marcel Proust
Proust reminds us that life is full of obstacles that we think we must surmount, but in time we find a way to get around the barrier, and once past it we can hardly see it as have being in our way. I suspect we have all had something in our life, in my case more than one, that we thought we could not overcome. Yet, we did, and now look on it as a blip on the radar screen.
Perhaps that is what Jesus meant when he said do not be anxious. Many people in these times find themselves anxious, worried about how they will be clothed and fed. Jesus’s comforting words do not sound real to them right now. How can they not feel anxious and afraid? But God will provide and at some point today’s difficult times will be but a memory.
I talked to man yesterday at lunch. I was having a bowl of white bean soup. He said, ” White beans were the cause of his leaving home and joining the Army during the depression. He had white beans for dinner, white bean sandwiches, and white beans for breakfast.” He went on to tell me that when he entered the service it was the first time he ever tasted red meat. He loved his first roast beef sandwich. He is now almost 93, a successful businessman, and hunger and the depression are now just a memory.
How will God provide for the people today who are anxious. Maybe, just maybe, that is a question we should be asking ourselves, because the answer may just be “us.” Can we do with a little bit less to help others, can we provide someone something we can do without, or can we just offer a little comfort to those who need comfort. This is not meant to be a guilt trip, just food for thought. Is there someone in your life that you can assist getting around that “intolerable obstacle” right now.
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