Part 4, Chapter 12
Winnie the Pooh was fun to watch. Still, there was one character in Winnie the Pooh that always stuck out, Eeyore, the donkey who was sad, melancholic, who just saw bad things happening. He was depressing to watch. It was always storming in his life and there was no hope for him. He was a pessimist.
In our lives of faith, we can at times be like Eeyore. That is, we can be weighed down by things that are going on around us. We may have no fervor for holy things, and no desire to be holy. Sadness may be causing us to be burdened. This happens to all of us at times, but we don’t want to live our lives in perpetual sadness, or by being like Eeyore on a continuous basis.
St. Francis De Sales gives us some suggestions in what to do to avoid living like Eeyore. “Prayer is a sovereign remedy, it lifts the mind to God, who is our only joy and consolation” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 175). God is our refuge and strength so when things get tough, we turn to Him to help strengthen us. We are not alone. “Vigorously resist all tendencies to melancholy, and although all you do may seem to be done coldly wearily and indifferently, do not give in” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 175). Feelings are not always the best gage of where we are at with our relationship with God, sometimes we can feel that God has left us, and we are the closest we have ever been to Him. “Frequent Communion is [e]specially valuable; the Bread of Life strengthens the heart and gladdens the spirits” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 175). Receiving our Lord’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity gives us graces and blessings to continue the fight. And of course St. Francis De Sales’ advice of bringing it to one’s director or confessor is good advice. Sometimes by bringing this out in the open, it seems to fade away.
Don’t be a spiritual Eeyore, rather trust in the Lord and bring Him your troubles.