Problems

March 1, 2024

An increasingly popular phrase these days is, “No problem.” For many of us, those words do not always fit the circumstances. For example, the table server will likely say, “No problem” when we request something, like bringing a glass of water. We are glad that bringing the water isn’t a difficulty. Yet, do we need the assurance that doing his job is not a problem for him?

All kidding aside, the phrase “No problem” has become an idiom and is simply a synonym for the more traditional phrase “My pleasure.”

No one wants their problems; instead, we want them to be solved so we can carry on. Most problems are bothersome, and in many instances, they are painful. However, in the spiritual life, they serve as our growing edges. This Series of Daily Reflections is about the spirituality of our problems and how we solve them at multiple levels of our existence.

Problems are always a challenge, whether big or small. The human condition includes constantly having to solve the challenges built into each stage of life and each day. For example, one of the problems babies must solve is how to gain mobility; people in midlife must solve the problem of finding their life's work and saving for retirement. Older people are back to the baby's problem of gaining mobility, amongst other problems of their stage.

There are many categories of problems. In terms of size, they come in small, medium, and large… and all the various sizes in between. There are global, national, state, city, and neighborhood problems. There are interpersonal problems and problems we have within ourselves. There are pressing problems and problems that, like wrinkles in our socks, are inconveniences.

When you consider your problems, what are they? What are your outer and inner problems? What is their intensity? What will happen if you do not solve them?

Inquiry: Why would anyone be thankful for their problems?

Dear God,

For courage and strength, I pray, because my problems happen every day. Amen

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