You've got to be flexible. That's the current "buzz" phrase in missionary circles. Robert Burns put the concept in a different light in his poem, To a Mouse in 1786.
"But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
Still you are blest, compared with me!
The present only touches you:
But oh! I backward cast my eye,
On prospects dreary!
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear!" (standard English translation)
Legend has it that Burns wrote this poem after finding a nest of field mice whose "house" had been destroyed by his plow. His insight into the oftentimes futileness of the plans of both mice and men is keen. Burns puts this premise in a darker light than those who speak of being flexible, but the idea remains the same for both. Plan as we will, try as we may, there is very little control we mere mice have over the circumstances of life. The sooner we learn this and come to terms with it the better off and more at peace we will be.
And so as the East Coast waits and prepares for Hurricane Sandy, we in the Wolfe house also wait to see if our plans to leave for Honduras after Thanksgiving remain intact. My disaster relief crew is anxious to go wherever our services are needed. Me...not so much. My mind is already set on the journey south. The rental add for our house has been placed. Someone is coming to view it today. What if they are a good match and our plans are delayed a month...or two. Should we rent it anyway? "And forward, though I cannot see, I guess and fear!"
"But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
Still you are blest, compared with me!
The present only touches you:
But oh! I backward cast my eye,
On prospects dreary!
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear!" (standard English translation)
Legend has it that Burns wrote this poem after finding a nest of field mice whose "house" had been destroyed by his plow. His insight into the oftentimes futileness of the plans of both mice and men is keen. Burns puts this premise in a darker light than those who speak of being flexible, but the idea remains the same for both. Plan as we will, try as we may, there is very little control we mere mice have over the circumstances of life. The sooner we learn this and come to terms with it the better off and more at peace we will be.
And so as the East Coast waits and prepares for Hurricane Sandy, we in the Wolfe house also wait to see if our plans to leave for Honduras after Thanksgiving remain intact. My disaster relief crew is anxious to go wherever our services are needed. Me...not so much. My mind is already set on the journey south. The rental add for our house has been placed. Someone is coming to view it today. What if they are a good match and our plans are delayed a month...or two. Should we rent it anyway? "And forward, though I cannot see, I guess and fear!"
And so we wait!
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