You'll Get Used to It

Edward Bloom left home after high school graduation and there was only one road out of his hometown. That road passed through the town with no name. Those who were meant to leave home were able to pass through unharmed. Those who weren't stayed forever, unable to go forward or move back. The town with no name was always enveloped in fog with a light rain falling. Edward walked through town with a man named Willie. Willie described the dampness as a kind of residue. The residue of a lot of dreams.

"We have our share of rain," Willie said, "but you get used to it."

"Everything here seems sort of . . . damp," Edward said.

Willie cut him a glance. "You get used to it," he said. "That's what this place is all about, Edward. Getting used to things."

"It's not what I want," he said.

"That, too," he said. "You get used to that, too."

I wonder how many people whom I encounter in an average week are living a life that they have learned to "get used to"? It's the opposite of a life of hope. Followers of Christ can have the kind of hope that causes people to ask them about it and can be ready with a a gentle, respectful answer when asked. (1 Peter 3:15)