Finding Hope in Hard Things: A Positive Take on Suffering

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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We think we're stone. Only chisels and hammer strikes can change our shape. But no; we're wet clay. We're sediment and soil. We're waiting for hands. We're waiting for fingertips. We're waiting for the pressure of palms. We're waiting to be shaped by an artist. And the artist's tools are hard things.

Anxiety disorders, Crohn's disease, cancer of the spine, the death of your father—these things happen. What matters most is not what happens to you but how you perceive and respond to it. Perception and response—that's the key.

FINDING HOPE IN HARD THINGS

Finding God in the Ordinary

Struck Down but Not Destroyed: Living Faithfully with Anxiety

The West Wing

“This guy's walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out.

“A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, ‘Hey you. Can you help me out?' The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on.

“Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, ‘Father, I'm down in this hole can you help me out?' The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on.

“Then a friend walks by, ‘Hey, Joe, it's me can you help me out?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, ‘Are you stupid? Now we're both down here.' The friend says, ‘Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.'”