“Never mind, you’ll get used to it!” They’re not necessarily the most encouraging words you ever hear! But the fact is that human beings do have a great ability to get used to different circumstances.
Often it is a good thing:
- Growing up can, at times, be quite threatening, but we get used to it.
- Leaving home can be difficult, but we get used to it.
- Getting married means a total change of lifestyle, but we get used to it.
- Having children is a great responsibility which disrupts our lives, but we get used to it.
- The children grow up and leave home. That can be quite traumatic for parents. But they get used to it and form a new adult relationship with the children.
- The boss makes disturbing changes at work but we get used to it.
Human beings are very adaptable. Think back to some of the challenging things you have got used to in your life. We learn to cope with sometimes the most difficult or painful circumstances. As I once read on a calendar: “Today is the tomorrow you were worrying about yesterday!”
Of course, sometimes we get used to the wrong things:
- People can get used to a lowering of standards in our society.
- Children can get used to being maltreated at home.
- Teenagers can get used to being violent and antisocial.
- Married couples can get so used to one another that their relationship becomes boring.
- Families can get used to never really talking to one another.
- Individuals can get used to being on their own and become selfish.
So there is a flip side to the great human strength of adaptability. We get used to what we shouldn’t get used to.
Millions of people have got used to the wonderful world in which we live:
- Its beauty, its organisation, its variety.
- The grandeur of mountains or the intricacy of the microscopic world.
- The incredible complexity and interrelationship of the natural world.
- The wonderful creativity and abilities of human beings
- The vastness and power of the universe.
- The remarkable scientific explanations of how the universe, our planet and all its life forms operate.
“I don’t agree with you,” says someone, “I never get used to all these wonderful things. They always excite and intrigue me.” I’m not denying that.
No, what I am saying is that millions of people are so used to living in God’s wonderful world that they ignore God, forget about him or even don’t believe in him. I find atheism so utterly incredible because looking at life, the universe and everything, it would take more faith than I could ever have to believe there isn’t a God. Of course, there are bad, evil and unfair aspects. I take them very seriously and will write on them. But they don’t change the fact that there must be a wonderful Creator behind our wonderful creation. And if, as is surely the case, he is at least as personal as we are, he must want to communicate with us and want us to communicate with him. Why not try it?
© Tony Higton: see conditions for reproduction