IT'S NOT THAT BAD

JULY 19, 2008

A man who prided himself on his physical health was accustomed to walk to work every day. He enjoyed the fresh air in all seasons. He talked to people along the way, and stopped whenever the opportunity presented itself to hold a door for someone, help someone cross the street, or do some other small favor for someone. The daily walk was a social event as much as it was exercise.

Then a time came when the man began to experience a mysterious pain radiating throughout his body when he walked. It started gently, almost imperceptibly, in his lower back, but as he tried to compensate for this pain by keeping his back stiff and by adjusting his walk, he seemed only to make matters worse, and the pain began to affect his joints and muscles. For a while he ignored the pain and carried out his daily walk. He thought it might be a virus working its way through his body, but there was no fever or other symptom. He thought he might have strained his back, but he couldn't remember lifting anything heavy or doing anything else that would have stressed his back.

He thought maybe it was his bed. He couldn't afford a new one, so he tried sleeping elsewhere. Nothing seemed to improve his condition.

His physical aches began to touch his spirit. He found it difficult not to be depressed.
 He finally went to the doctor, fearing the worst. Was it cancer? Some other incurable disease? Was he dying? The doctor gave him a very thorough examination. Nothing turned up. The doctor referred him to specialists. They conducted more tests, and they all seemed to say he was in perfect health. They gave him a prescription for pain killers and told him to give it time to see if his condition changed for the better or the worse.

The pain killers had the opposite effect from the one intended. When he took them, he felt better, and because he felt better, he returned to his daily exercise routine, but then when the effect of the pills wore off, he felt worse than ever.

He was becoming a cripple, and there was no earthly explanation. Had God put a curse on him? Was he being punished for some sin he could no longer even remember?  He didn't know.  All he knew was that standing and walking hurt, and the only relief he could find was in lying down.

Now he was fighting despair. He didn't know what to do. His pain was interfering with his work routines and his whole life.  Was it all in his head? Was he going crazy?  These were the thoughts that spun around and around in his head as he lay flat on his back one day, afraid to even try to walk.

Unexpectedly, an old friend came calling, unaware of the man's condition. After visiting for a little while, the friend noticed the man's old shoes, and how worn they were. "Those are some shoes," the friend remarked. "Why don't you get a new pair?"

"Well, I've had these for so long, and they feel so comfortable, I'd hate to part with them," he answered.

"Well," said the friend, "you know, I used to have a pair shoes like that, but I finally threw them out. You know why?"

"No."

"They weren't giving me enough support, and for some reason my back started to ache."

The man changed shoes and his problems were over.

The point is that sometimes little things can cause big problems. What is true of the body is true of the human spirit. If we have a heartache or suffer some unexplainable sadness or sorrow, things are probably not as bad as they seem. Just a little adjustment may give us a new lease on life.

The adjustment I want to propose is this: Since the root of all human sorrow is losing sight of God's love, turn to him, and let him fill you with his love. Wherever pain radiated, the fire of his love will radiate instead.

+Bishop Raymundo J. Peña

last updated 21-Jul-2008 13:59 sitemap