Bumps in our road

Have you ever considered turning your vehicle around and going home because you experienced a bumpy road, an unending highway work or a detour?

You've found the inconvenience too overwhelming, troublesome or dangerous to bother with. You've thrown up your hands and said, "Forget the trip!"

Life is like that. But one must refrain from giving up the journey merely because there's a bump in the road. It's awesome to hear tales of people's perseverance.

Survivors of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters are prime examples of the seemingly indomitable spirit of people in crisis. Adversity can bring out strength of mind, body and character that one never noticed.

The terrorist attack of 9-11 in New York City was another scenario where people had to pick up the pieces and get on with their lives. Eventually the road straightened out and bumps were driven over. Although things were not the same as before, people found new life and enlivened spirits.

Surviving such events taught lessons that would sustain them the rest of their days. They could agree with Paul when he said, "I take pleasure in persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). If one possesses faith in God, he's confident that his needs will be met when they're genuinely required.

It's tempting to give up and retreat from unpleasant or difficult situations. My eyes were opened as I recently listened to an author, Janie, being interviewed on television.

She had lost her husband and a daughter within an unbelievably short time span. She had no other children left and was, consequently, alone except for nephews and nieces. However, rather than give up, she pondered her predicament and tried to discern what God desired she learn from her heart-breaking losses.

In trying to resolve her pain, she wrote a book attempting to reach inside herself and touch her feelings. The book proved to be a healing antidote for her loneliness and suffering.

Her experience is merely one of many accounts revealing the courage and tenacity of the human spirit. Each story seems to surpass the one before it. But when coping with grief, a seemingly impossible task, or exhaustion, it's difficult to see beyond the moment.

Life is complicated, and we often feel like giving up. The job is too much; a project too complicated; children impossible to deal with. It seems as if life itself is too hard to manage.

The reporter asked Janie,"How did you keep going -- dealing with the sorrow?"

Janie answered, "You do what you have to do. What choice do you have? It's amazing what one can endure when forced to. I learned that God truly never gave me more than I could handle."

She referred to the Scripture, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28, 30).

Another often overlooked prescription for exhaustion and unhappiness is simply rest. During this achievement-oriented era, it's easy to think that rest is only for the unmotivated. However, God often rested. Jesus, too, experienced bumps in the road, but he never gave up his purpose of teaching people how to live.

Being able to share concerns and sorrows with another helps one continue on his travels. Encouragement and understanding are, sometimes, all the medication one needs to recover from adverse circumstances. So never let a bump in the road keep you from finishing your journey.

Ellen Shuck is director of religious education at St. Mary's Cathedral parish.