WHERE RUTHLESS TRUST TAKES YOU

Every once in a while I read something that becomes a "shaper" of my life. In continuing in Manning's "Ruthless Trust" I came across this story from the life of John Tauler (14th century).

"Tauler found a barefoot ragamuffin in rags, wounded and caked in blood. Tauler greeted the man
cordially: 'Good morning, dear brother. May God give you a good day and grant you a happy life.'
'Sir,' replied the ragamuffin, 'I do not remember ever having had a bad day.'
Stunned, Tauler asked him how that was possible, since sadness and grief are part of the human condition.
The beggar explained, 'You wished me a good day, and I replied that I cannot recall ever having spent a bad day. You see, whether my stomach is full or I am famished with hunger, I praise God equally; when I am rebuffed and despised, I still thank God. My trust in God's providence and his plan for my life is absolute, so there is no such thing as a bad day.'
He continued, 'Sir, you also wished me a happy life. I must insist that I am always happy for it would be untruthful to state otherwise. My experience of God has taught me that whatever He does must of necessity be good. Thus, everything that I receive from his loving hand or whatever He permits me to receive from the hands of others - be it prosperity or adversity, sweet or bitter - I accept with joy and see it as a sign of his favor. For many, many years now, my first resolution each morning is to attach myself to nothing but the will of God alone. I have learned that the will of God is the love of God. And by the outpouring of His grace, I have so merged my will with His that whatever He wills, I will too. Therefore, I have always been happy.'"

This story humbles me. Is it really possible to live like this? If so, it is only through a contemplative, mindful way of life. Manning goes on to define "ruthless" trust: trust without self-pity; because self-pity is the arch- enemy of trust. He also admits that self-pity is a normal part of human experience but there is a way to handle it without it destroying trust.

How would my physical and emotional being change if I lived like this? How would those I encounter be changed if I lived like this? One word comes to mind when I try to describe life lived with ruthless trust - serenity.

My hope is that my desire for this is at least the beginning of living like this. It will be a moment by moment way of living. I will have to remind myself many times throughout the day. But, I think Christ would smile.