Suddenly, you lose influence. control was an illusion. Perhaps, one was blind to a problem or ran away from it but, at least, that had a back traceable cause. What really stings, are those external circumstances or, my fave, bad timing which collapse the structure you thought could last a bit longer. It’s the injustice that gets you, and you think of Jonah, Jobe, or even Milton: . . . the worst were full of vigor, while the best lacked all conviction. Have a listen to Joanie Mitchell’s “If”, it pretty much sums it up and is Biblically based.
When you feel the weight, you feel the cross. “Offer it up.” Just what does that mean? For myself, I found it in Mother Angelica’s meditation for the fourth Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary: . . . may my cross be united with Your Cross, so that together we may Glorify the Father and save souls. Then let it go, and don’t worry your supply may be plentiful.
Find the bless in the mess: Just writing this reply with a computer with electricity and an internet connection is something many don’t have. How fortunate is that! Give thanks to God in all things.
Find a devotion and get out of yourself. That’s how you can give when you thought you lost everything. Time.
This is distilled from uncertainty since 2009, and collapse since 2011. Usually, you just have to go 'round the houses, but maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a sign-post or short-cut here.
