“Use the difficulty”
Gaining even just a little more faith could be enough to tip the balance toward confidence in good.
In an interview, the actor Michael Caine told of an acting lesson that had had a great impact on his life. During a rehearsal early in his career, the door through which he was supposed to make his entrance was blocked by an onstage chair. So he said, “I’m sorry, sir, I can’t get in . . . there’s a chair there.” The reply was, “Use the difficulty! . . . If it’s a comedy, fall over it. If it’s a drama, pick it up and smash it!” This experience apparently taught him to see obstacles as opportunities.
Hearing this reminded me of a sentence from Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “Trials are proofs of God’s care” (p. 66). What a reminder that no matter what we face, it can be a prompt to discover that God’s goodness is in operation and the only power.
One of my own experiences of putting “use the difficulty” into practice came while I was studying art in Florence, Italy. One morning in class, a student shared that she had been verbally harassed by one of the employees at the bus terminal and was now afraid to go back there by herself. Everyone rallied around her, but the men in particular expressed anger and a desire to confront the employee.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
