When things get toxic

BAD days do happen! Let’s hope they will just be few and

far between. But there certainly are days when we will have a perfect

storm, when everything seems to conspire against us.

  

            Physically we can be a wreck. Emotionally we are

shattered. Mentally we seem to be numb and frozen. Even spiritually we

seem to be dead. Deadlines seem to be chasing us like hell. And

disasters and crises seem to be all around: in the family, the office,

with friends, in love life, etc. There are times when we seem to drown

in our helplessness.

  

            We have to make sure that we do not over-react to this

phenomenon. We have to be ready to face them. Ignoring them or

thinking that there will be no toxic times and that everything will

just be sweet and fine, is quite naïve. Things will just get worse.

There is always hope, a light at the end of the tunnel. Morning will

surely follow the night.

  

            A good reaction can be what is suggested in a responsorial

psalm of a Mass: “Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.”

Perhaps repeating those words would reconnect us to the source of hope

that does not defraud us ever.

  

            Sometimes we just need a little of self-psychologizing to

keep ourselves going and ride out the storms. We have to learn to play

little tricks with our own selves. This idea may sound insignificant,

but actually, with it, many have succeeded in turning around their

predicament.

  

            But, yes, it is always with God that we can manage to deal

with our difficulties. Christ himself reassured us: “Come to me, all

you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke

upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and

you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden

light.” (Mt 11,28-30)

  

            With these words, we have the formula for how to properly

handle our toxic days. We always need to go to Christ. We should never

just go through them by our own selves, simply relying on our powers

that definitely cannot cope with the burden.

   

            We also need to realize that whatever toxic burden or yoke

we carry, be it physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, whatever, can

and should always be regarded as the yoke of Christ since he has

assumed all the problems we can have in this life.

  

            Like Christ, let us be gentle and humble in heart, because

this is the only way we can manage to bear whatever toxicity would

come our way. With him alone, we will realize that the yoke is

actually easy and the burden light.

  

            Thus, it is all worthwhile to spend time meditating on

these words of Christ and on his passion, death and resurrection that

put the truth to these words. It is amazing that even now, after so

many centuries after Christ spoke those words, many of us still are

unaware of the significance and power of those words.

  

            It’s truly high time to deeply instill these words in the

consciousness of the people, making them a vital and operative part of

our culture, especially nowadays when toxic days are becoming more

common. We cannot deny that many people do not know how to cope with

their difficulties and are falling into all kinds of sickness. Some

have even gone insane.

            Obviously, one of the things that we need to learn is how

to suffer. We have to understand that suffering, in one form or

another, will always be around. It is part of our human condition

here.

  

            With Christ, our suffering can be borne calmly, joyfully

and meaningfully. We would know that suffering brings with it many

benefits: purification, development of more virtues, and ultimately,

our salvation.

  

            With Christ, we will revive when we suffer, we will

resurrect when we die!