Stuck in the Middle
In the first section of Dante’s Divine Comedy, the “Inferno”, he reflects, “Midway on our life’s journey, I found myself in dark woods, the right road lost” (translation by Robert Pinsky). I might have written those words myself were I so poetically inclined. I’ve lived them, and that’s a fact. Youth are expected to be lost, indeed they have not found themselves, and it is common to think of old age as a time of loss, but loss in the middle is something else. It is traumatic and not uncommon.
Today, there have been more American job losses than at any time other than the Great Depression. The thing that makes these losses different from those heretofore is that they have come to people who were previously assumed to be bullet-proof and in jobs that seemed recession-proof. In this arena, people have been struck down at the height of their powers, and, in some cases, destroyed. Of the surviving, many have suffered great loss and are floundering in dark woods. They did not expect to be where they are.
I know what it’s like to be in the middle of a journey and lose your way. It may be more common for people in general to question themselves at the “midway” point of life than in younger days. There is a confidence born of youthful bravado that is both invigorating and naïve. Somewhere along the road, we lose that. Call it wisdom or lowered expectations, we either adapt down or inherit the wind. Self-confidence often takes a hit, rather, a round-house haymaker that we didn’t see coming.
It’s hard not to question yourself (and everything else) when you’re stumbling in the dark. Having followed many blind alleys to their fruitless ends, I understand the frustration. But the world doesn’t stop for us when we need time to think. In such times, I am reluctant to classify bystanders as uncaring, but I don’t know what else to call it. Maybe, it’s just that people are so taken by their own lives that there is not much left over for anyone else. It is sad to see people struggle, hopeless, and, apparently, friendless.
David lamented for Saul, “The mighty have fallen in battle!” It is not only weaklings who stumble. Many better than you or I have lost their way. The fact is, however, there is a right road and a clear path somewhere. Jesus said He would never leave nor forsake us. Whether it’s a storm at sea in a small boat or a stormy conference room pink slip in hand, Jesus is always there. In fact, our sense of hearing is often more acute in the dark. Maybe, we are in just the right place to hear God’s voice. He often whispers, so listen close.
Sterl
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