TALES TO LIVE WITH

There are always the inspiration stories where somebody overcomes some major adversity. They are a hero whose story reaffirms the sense of right and justice.

And then there are the fantasies we create about other heroes. They are the good guys who defeat the villains despite facing incredible odds. These stories always conclude with a happy ending, no matter how many times we hear them, we still love them.

While most of us will enjoy stories of courage and victory, they may not always apply to our personal lives. We might not ever find ourselves in the position to save the world or shine in a way that our deeds end up on the news.

So being anonymous and unseen by the world is probably more common than the times when people get singled out for their efforts. That doesn't keep our minds from daydreaming, but it just doesn't ever touch us in terms of where we really live.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I know that there are plenty of times in my life when I have felt a sense of question as to if anyone would ever care or even know of my struggle. Admittedly it is hard to expect that type of reaction when so many are asking the same question.

I haven't brought myself to the point of needing to brag about what I was doing in an effort to impress. There was a time when I tried, but it never seemed to do any good. The person I wanted to impress was the type that you couldn't impress. They were so absorbed in their own lives they could never acknowledge your efforts regardless of what you did.

Somewhere in all that silliness, I came to a point of appreciating that the most important thing was knowing that God is witness to all. It really doesn't matter if anyone in this life knows of my struggle or efforts as long as the Lord knows about it.

And to that end, I draw comfort from the stories of the ordinary men in the bible. Not the ones who are larger than life and lead whole nations, but the person who lived a seemingly ordinary life. They give me hope for if God knows their challenges and problems, then he knows mine too.

Perhaps it isn't a story that everyone will care about. But to me they are real stories about real people and embracing them make them for me stories I can live with. There might not be any incidents of somebody saving the world, but they did endure despite all the problems that come in one's life.

It is enough for me since I have accepted that I too follow the path of the ordinary. My labor to try and be a little god ended some time ago. Today, I'm just happy and grateful for my daily bread and hopefully more times of smiles than tears.

I pray the peace of being enters into the lives of all who reach for it. And to give a joy where perhaps none existed before.