Saving the World

Written by Jen Saturday, 07 February 2009 14:59

Blog

Ever feel like the work you do is so mundane that it can't possibly help anyone? This usually hits me when I have a deadline looming and things just aren't fitting together and I start questioning everything.

The experience is similar to receiving a solicitation from a charity. I may be able to contribute something, but the choices on the pre-printed card start at $250, well above my budget of, say, $20. Will my piddling donation matter?

These are usually the moments when one of the kids does something baffling, like proudly announcing, "Hey! Big Red ® gum burns if you place it on your forehead! I won the contest on the bus ‘cause I left it there for 30 minutes!) Here come the blues. Yesterday I was in that kinda funk.

With world hunger, disease and war, it just seems that I should be doing something a little more pertinent than writing about Guido the schnauzer or how to entertain your kids with recyclable aluminum foil. And are my children hearing anything I say? Are they absorbing my not-so-discreet lessons about taking a stand and being true to their values? Then there are the others around me who need so much. I feel teeny amidst their mega-problems. What's a girl to do?

So I went to church. I know that some people can find God everywhere and that's certainly accurate but when the issues are big, I go to the Big House, where the Boss himself resides. What I find there is silence.

The Power of Silence

Practicing silence is a new adventure for me. I'm a writer and a talker. For me, words are golden; I find solace and inspiration within the cadence of a verse or the perfectly crafted sentence. What I'm finding, however, is that quiet is packed with power. A wise woman once asked me, "How can you hear when there's so much noise? How can you listen if you're talking?" It has taken me awhile to fully understand (I think I'm in the remedial course), but I'm finally getting it.

I'm Catholic, and we believe that the Holy Spirit resides in each of us. For me, silence is a way to summon him. It's a prayer in itself when offered with humility.

Try it. Even if you have to wait until nighttime when the kids are asleep, go to a room, close the door, and sit in silence. Place yourself before God as his servant. Empty your mind (not easy but it can be done) and just listen. With practice, you will find peace. The answer to the question: "What can I do?" is there.

You may not change the world in the traditional swash-buckling sense, but those grace-filled moments will eventually help you chart your course. In time, you'll realize that no genuine contribution is too small.

Editor's Note: For more on this topic, see Fr. Lou Guntzelman's What can I do-to-become-somebody-special.html