WORDS FROM FATHER YOHANES: Take Life the Way It Comes

By Father Yohanes Akoit

Take Life the Way It Comes The life of a human being never begins by itself. It exists because it is given, not because it appears on its own. Children have life not through themselves, but through the love their parents share with them. This continues into their adulthood and lasts until the end of their earthly journey. Everything they have is not produced merely by themselves, but given to them so that they may become who they are. This reality reflects our human nature. We receive life as a gift - through opportunities, encounters, inspiration, choices, and more. Therefore, life is a series of gifts that come to us.

This shows that we are not defining ourselves by what we produce, but by what we receive. We are creatures of reception. The nature of our being is to receive. And the gifts we receive include both good and bad; we experience joy as well as suffering. These come beyond our expectation and control. Therefore, the virtue we need to cultivate is a disposition of the heart and readiness to respond to every gift we receive. If the gift is good, our response should be gratitude. If the gift is misery, our response should not be negative. We must take it in a positive way, seeking meaning rather than materializing pain by asking, “Why did this happen to me?” Instead, we should ask, “What is the meaning of this misery?” This helps us reconcile with pain and suffering.

A disposition of the heart and readiness to accept the gift of life stabilizes us in facing whatever comes. Our journey of faith and the commitments we make can continue without the negative presumption that the world is unjust to us. Too often, when we experience sickness or suffering while our neighbors do not, we are tempted to protest against God, asking “Why me?” or even abandoning faith altogether. This negative presumption must be left behind. The gift of life always comes in two forms: good and bad. What we need is the disposition of heart and readiness to accept both.

 Jesus understood the importance of this virtue: the disposition of heart and readiness to accept the gift of life. He wanted to instill and cultivate it in His disciples. He used the example of John the Baptist, saying: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.” (Matthew 11: 2-11). The phrase “a reed swayed by the wind” indicates that John the Baptist embodied this virtue: the readiness to take life the way it comes. He had strong faith and remained faithful to his commitment. When problems arose or when the gift of life brought misery, he did not act like a reed swept by the wind. Instead, he accepted and reconciled himself with the desert situation. He did not ask God, “Why me and not others?” He did not deny the desert but accepted and lived in it. This is the disposition, the virtue, that Jesus wanted His disciples to have.

We too share this same nature. Often, we carry a negative presumption toward the gift of life. We tend to select only the good and avoid the bad. But this goal can never be achieved. The gift of life is always composed of both joy and suffering. We cannot choose; we must accept. Therefore, we sincerely ask God to grant us the virtue to love and to take life the way it comes.

Father Yohanes Akoit is pastor of St. Julian and St. Anthony Catholic churches in Kentucky.