A popular series of cell-phone commercials boasted the strength of network coverage by showing a huge crowd of people following close behind the customer as he walked down the street speaking on his cell phone. That’s a good metaphor for the kind of support I’m going to need if I am to live according to God’s will. As I make my way through the spiritual life, it is absolutely crucial that I have a strong support network following close behind me, cheering me on, booing the false spirit, whispering tips in my ear, and passing me Gatorade. I will need good mentors, good companions, and a strong link to the church.
—Excerpted from God’s Voice Within by Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ
I agree – but can’t help asking: What should we do if we’re lacking part of the support network we need? For me, it’s good companions, for others it may be good mentors, or maybe the link to the church (although one could argue that this lies in our hands). It’s not like God gives each of us such a complete support network. Sometimes I think it’s actually a privilege given to few – while most people have to manage their lives without enough support and therefore cannot become the persons God wants them to be. Somehow, there must be a way in which God looks at us and sees the person we were meant to be – despite the fact that the unlucky circumstances of our life never let us become that person.
Karen