Thoughts on Mother Theresa

There have been times in this blog when I've mentioned testimonies. I don't like them. At least, I've said I don't like them. Truly, there is something very inspiring about hearing people talk about all the good that God has done in their lives. It's nice.

But, the thing I don't like about testimonies is the fact that they're often so simple. They wrap up so neatly that they don't make a good short story, let alone a good story of a person's life. Then I realized that that's sort of what I do here. I sort of talk about all the positive things I see about God, church, religion, spirituality.

You know, I really do see those things, and I really do find great comfort in them. But, seeing the good side of things doesn't mean that one doesn't question, and it doesn't mean that one doesn't have hard times--hard times with faith and just hard times in general. Life is hard. That sounds trite, but there's no better way to put it.

I guess that's why I find the story of Mother Theresa so inspiring. Here was this woman who seemed so happy, so full of life and love for her God, yet for many years of her life she didn't feel His presence. I guess it is true that we are given no more than we can handle; judging from what I have read of her life, she must have been very strong.

What I mean to say is that nobody's story, not even Mother Theresa's, wraps up nicely, no matter what face they prepare to meet the faces that they meet. For every story of conversion, there are a thousand little stories of ups and downs, stories of good and bad advice, stories of answered and unanswered prayers, stories of laughter and of tears. These are the stories we don't hear, but perhaps they're the stories we should tell more often. They're certainly truer than those stories wrapped up prettier than Christmas packages.

And, although the true stories are more complex than those we often hear, I'm not sure it would be possible to really convey the fact that there is also a greater joy than there is sorrow, a greater faith than there is doubt, a greater love than there is apathy. And these are the things that make us all, like Mother Theresa, keep searching even during those dark days.