Steady

Steady

Ever wake up feeling a little out of sorts, unsteady on your feet, wondering what happened to a good night’s sleep? It’s only human to start some days off kilter. Add that we are living in a season when life itself seems out of whack. What happened to the good old days?

Reading an article written by a chaplain of a large metro hospital, I was reminded  how easily life can switch from normal to tragedy. The author compared our cultural meltdown to what happens in a hospital emergency room. When a patient is brought in the first thing the doctor focuses on is stopping the bleeding and controlling the pain.

Spending time as an ER chaplain I witnessed firsthand the shouting of orders and  beeping of monitors. For an outsider the whole process looks like mass confusion in search of a cure. People are trained to work under these conditions so a life can be saved. The need is focus and steady in the midst of turmoil.

People are struggling. Just when you get a grip on the new normal it changes and  there is another new normal . There is an ever changing reality that wants to push us to the brink. How do I find solid ground to stand? What is left to keep me steady?

Some years ago, Henri Nouwen, one of my heroes of the faith, penned these words speaking of holding fast in difficult times:

“The more I think about human suffering in our world and my desire to offer a healing response, the more I realize how critical it is not to allow myself to become paralyzed by feelings of helplessness and guilt. More important than ever is to be very faithful to my vocation, to do well the few things I am called to do and hold on to the joy and peace they bring to me. I must resist the temptation to let the forces of darkness pull me into despair and make me one of their many victims.”

Steady words indeed!