Taking the Time to Make a Difference

“Lost in thought” was a phrase to describe his situation, but that was an understatement. “Lost in mid-America” was closer to the truth. A friend of mine used to get into his car and drive, just drive, when he had some problem to work out in his mind or some struggle to settle in his heart. I can’t say his drive, just drive, approach was truly safe for himself or other people on the highway, but at least it was not as expensive as it would be at today’s gas pumps. I do know that the time I spend driving is often a time to think things through for me too, especially when I am alone and the competing traffic is not aggressive. But I know that one of the most common – and most dangerous -- driving mistakes listed in highway safety publications is “failing to pay attention” or “zoning out.” That’s what my friend used to do. One time, he confessed to me, he was extremely troubled and so, as usual, he got into his car and began to drive. He began his journey from home in St. Louis, and some hours later, saw a highway sign for the city of Springfield. Somebody told me some years ago that every state in the union has a city named Springfield. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I know that both Missouri and Illinois have a city named Springfield. That sign pointing to Springfield would have been more helpful if my friend had not strayed from the interstate highway. State highways don’t offer sufficient information for drivers who don’t know what state they are in. So there he was, on a lightly traveled road, at night, somewhere near Springfield, Springfield somewhere. He had been driving, just driving, and now he was lost, simply lost. My friend ultimately got over his embarrassment and asked a stranger at a gas station for directions. He was hoping the location might slip out in conversation, but it did not. “How do I get to St. Louis?” he asked. The answer was simple: “Just follow this road to Springfield and take the interstate from there.” No clue came about the state. All my friend could do was to get back into his car and drive toward Springfield. When he got to the interstate, he would know where he was.

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Wherever you are, no matter what state you are in (or even if you don’t know the state you are in), there is comfort in these words attributed to the Lord, as written in Chapter 55 of Isaiah: “All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money come, receive grain and eat. Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare.” Perhaps this is the goal of all who drive without plan, who search for comfort. In a world filled with anxiety, depression, panic, post-traumatic stress and social phobia, how possible is it to give in and simply “come to the water.”

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Take the time to reflect on your own travels. When have you searched aimlessly, hoping for relief from a problem or a struggle? Who are the people in your neighborhood who are thirsty? Who are the ones who have no confidence, no resources, no experience other than of the things that will never satisfy them? What services are available in your community to bring comfort to the conflicted? What is available in your parish for people who are making a decision, solving a problem or wrestling with a personal situation? Social science studies support the position of the U.S. bishops, that one of the best resources a child can have is an intact family. For most of us, the place to go for water when we were thirsty, for food without cost, was the home where we grew up. It should be a place not only for real food and drink, but also for the rich fare of comfort and acceptance as we continue on the eternal journey. Learn more about the importance of marriage and family – to all of society -- from the website, www.foryourmarriage.org.

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