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1 Chronicles 11:13-14 "[Eleazar] was with David at Pasdammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley, and the men fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great victory."

 

Eleazar was one of David's "mighty men", and this account of his bravery and success in battle certainly shows that might! There are accounts of the brave and mighty deeds of the other mighty men in Chronicles, as well (1 Chronicles 11-12). 

 

I am feeling somewhat sad and a little anxious on this last day of the year. I don't usually feel this way, but right now, everything feels unstable, nothing is as it once was or seemed to be. I have realized over time that what I thought of as "normal and good" was not, that the way things were being done was leading us and our children astray and hiding tremendous evil. Still, even knowing that things have to change, I sometimes pine for my former blindness and feel anxiety about what seems likely must come in order to get us back on the right track. That's a bit of what I was feeling today. I prayed a lot about it at Mass this morning, asking God to bring us all some reconciliation, peace, and stability based on virtue and justice in the New Year. It's a tall order, given the way things are, and I realize it might not yet be time for that in His Will.

 

The struggle I am really having, honestly, is with trust. If I am feeling anxious, as I am, I am straying from His care. He has shown me again and again that, no matter what, He is with me, guiding me and caring for me lest I dash my foot against a stone. I really have to not be afraid (or anxious, a form of fear), because "Fear is the Surrender of the Help of Reason".  

 

David's mighty men brought these thoughts to mind as I realized God gave those men to David to help him get through everything he had to get through. David faced many battles and much turbulence, as king and in his personal life, but God was with him always and  gave David the human help he needed as well. In David's case, his human help included these extraordinarily brave, loyal, and mighty men. We do not all need or get "mighty me", but we do get everything we need.

 

God will give me the help I need as I try to do His will for me. My part in God's plan is not nearly as high profile as David's, but I do have a role to play. My help will look different from David's mighty men, but it will be there when I need it. Much of it already is, if I just let go of this passing sadness and anxiety, look around, and trust.