Asked To Do the Impossible

A brother may be assigned a burdensome task or something he cannot do. If so, he should, with complete gentleness and obedience, accept the order given him. Should he see, however, that the weight of the burden is altogether too much for his strength, then he should choose the appropriate moment and explain patiently to his superior the reasons why he cannot perform the task. RB80.68.1-2

When I first entered community, I came equipped with a list of things that I would absolutely never consider doing. It was meant to scare people away from asking me to do something that might push me out of my comfort zone...even just a little. Glad to say, in the past 25 years I have discovered that everything on my impossible-for-me-to do list was actually quite doable.

That being said, Benedict does realize that there might be an occasion or two when a person is being asked to do something that is quite literally impossible for them. Benedict recommends that the person take the assignment and consider carefully whether the request is impossible or merely uncomfortable. If the task is truly impossible, then I need to go back and explain why it is impossible. Even then I might still be asked to perform the task but at least I know that I tried my best to explain my hesitancy.

There are times in life when I need to trust that someone might see a trait or skill which might be hidden from me. Manytimes the thing that I would never have chosen, mostly because it is a little uncomfortable, has turned out to be a great learning tool for me--learning about myself, learning about life in general. These can be teachable moments.

May I trust God daily to lead me even beyond my own self-imposed boundaries.

Sr. Catherine, OSB