Inconveniences vs. Problems

What a day, with all the snow continuing to fall. So many of us are tired of one snowstorm after another. It makes me think of what I often ask myself, “Is it an inconvenience, or is it a problem?” Of course, it is an inconvenience! We are tired of looking out our windows, only seeing white everywhere, rather than the greens of springtime.
I often have to ask myself, “Is it an inconvenience, or is it a problem?” I call anything that is not terminal to my health an inconvenience. Yes, I have likely said this before. Yet, I continue to see others make inconveniences a problem. Just yesterday, I witnessed what was an inconvenience become a major problem. No, it was not going to be terminal to anyone, but I saw a will of the minds. I was asked to intervene. I did the best I could. To think we were in a Church situation, yet there was someone trying to overstep another, rather than thinking of the consequences. I had to silently laugh, over such a minor situation. We need to think how God would like us to respond to something, not putting ourselves above Him. I had to also think of the background of the person wanting to take charge. As always, we need to think of what is beyond the eye of the beholder. There is a way to make everyone feel comfortable, yet get a point across. It is not always easy, yet we need to think of the feelings of one another. It may be an inconvenience to us, but to the other person, it is a problem. Without stepping out of our boundaries, with the help of God, we can come up with a solution. The secret knows God is living within us, of feeling how He would respond to the same problem. He would not want to embarrass anyone. He wants everyone to feel successful, to feel no shame. Is it easy? No, but we only have to listen to God. Let us respond to His wishes, not ours.

NICOLAS

Many of you have heard me talk about Nicolas, the 17 year old who was in a snowboarding accident, leaving him in a coma. You all have prayed for him and have continued to think about him, asking how he is. Just tonight, he sent me a note, saying how much better he is, after telling him he must get depressed from time to time. He said he does not get depressed, but there are frustrating moments. What a gentle soul he is, to go through everything he has experienced and say he gets frustrated at times! At this stage in his life, he should be out building memories of being a high school senior. Instead, he is only trying to get back being at the level where he used to be. Think back to your teenage years. Can you imagine, having fun, enjoying school, doing fabulous artwork, and in the next second, all of this being taken away from you? No, I cannot imagine this!
Nicolas has made tremendous progress. He is doing schoolwork and converses beautifully. Yet, there are still missing parts. Though he may not feel he has patience, I see him being a perfect example of this virtue. We may think of patience as remaining happy as we wait in the grocery line. By the time we are home, with our goods put away, we forget all about that wait, as our minds divert to the next simple task facing us. Nicolas, on the other hand, has a long wait ahead. Yet, this delightful young man does not give up. He is living out this virtue. He knows it is a long haul to get back what he has lost; but he continues to climb this mountain, scattered with many obstacles.
We can learn from Nicolas. It does not matter that he may be younger we are. What matters is his strong faith in God. Through his faith, he knows he can meet each hurdle, gradually getting over it and moving on to the next hurdle.
Next time we have to wait in line somewhere, or did not make the green light while getting anxious to be reaching our destination, we need to think of Nicolas. He keeps hitting red lights on his journey, but he sits back and waits, knowing that green light will come.