I am reading a book "And There Was Light," by Jacques Lusseyran, a Frenchman who became blind at seven years old. At age 17 he was a leader in a resistance movement fighting the invading Nazi tyranny in France during WWII. He later survived 18 months in the Buchenwald prison camp. I have been fascinated by his perceptions. I recently ran into this quote by him while reading another book:
"One should not try to console either those who lost their eyes, or those who have suffered other losses - of money, health, or a loved one. It is necessary instead to show them what their loss brings them, to show them the gifts the receive in place of what they have lost. Because there are always gifts. God wills it so. Order is restored; nothing ever disappears completely."
"We wish to force our own conditions on life; this is our real weakness. We forget that God never creates new conditions for us without giving us the strength to meet them....By all this, I learned at the same time that we should never give way to despair, no matter what brutal and negative events occur in our lives, just as quickly the same sum of life is given back to us."
(Against the Pollution of the I: Selected Writing of Jacques Lusseyman)
Although I am a believer in consolation and compassion (Jesus wept with Martha and Mary even though he knew that Lazarus would be back to normal in just a matter of minutes) I really liked Lusseyran's perspective on the gifts that come through adversity. I do believe that "there are always gifts."
3 comments:
So great to come across truths like these in extraordinary stories of extraordinary people.
What interesting thoughts. Thank you for sharing them.
I read that book, really some fascinating insights!
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