Today’s gospel centers on a paralyzed man who was healed by Jesus. This man could no longer help himself. He depended on others even for his miserable life. It seemed like there was no more hope for him. However, some men, perhaps his relatives and friends, refused to give up on him. They remained positive and believed he could be well again. Even when their effort to bring him to Jesus appeared to be frustrated by the mammoth crowd following Jesus, they refused to give up. They took the extra pain to climb to the roof of the house where Jesus was, tear it apart and lower their beloved friend and brother through this opening at the feet of Jesus. This attitude is called the power of positivity.
Martin Luther King Jr. said that we must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope. Life is full of challenges, and no one is immune to falling victim to difficult times. Tribulation is something all human beings have in common. But they also have in common the freedom to choose how to react to hard times. To survive trials and tribulations, one must exploit the power of positivity.
The Will
The power of positivity lies in the will. Thus, the saying, where there is a will, there must be a way. The will holds the cardinal key to survival or success. The moment the will becomes damp and limp, the hope for victory loses its last and decisive foothold. The decision to hang on and fight to the finish is the attitude of the will, which exploits the power of positivity and makes a consoling sunshine possible after a long heavy storm. One needs a tough will to survive a tough time. Only a dead fish flows with the current. A live fish swims against it. Only a tough will can turn trials and troubles into a springboard to greater altitudes.
Against this background, the Prophet Isaiah urges us to victory in the first reading: “Strengthen the weary hands, steady all trembling knees and say to all faint hearts, ‘courage! Do not be afraid’” We cannot experience the joy of victory unless we fight gallantly and remain positive to the end. The story of Sudha Chandran can help us understand the force of the power of positivity.
Sudha Chandran
Sudha Chandran was a rising Indian professional dancer. She unfortunately had a terrible accident in 1981 and doctors had to amputate her right leg. This means in practical terms that she would not dance anymore. It should be an end to a budding promising career. But this young girl was determined to pursue her passion as a dancer. She could not accept that amputation was a barrier on her way to achieve her dreams. Sudha believed that impossibility exists only in the mind and that things appear impossible until they are done. She simply refused to give up and believed there must be a way to realize her dreams.
Sudha eventually got a prosthetic Jaipur foot. With this artificial foot, she began to adjust to her new condition, working so hard to overcome her disability. It was tough, demanding, and challenging, but she was determined to succeed. She resisted the thought of giving up when she encountered further obstacles in her struggle. She remained focused and positive until she broke through the storm. Eventually she became one of the most highly acclaimed dancers of the Indian subcontinent.
Quitters do not know the truth that people who kept on trying even when there seemed to be no hope or after having failed many times have made the greatest achievements in the world. We must note that the Lord’s promise of a safe journey may not include a smooth ride.
