Start by Doing What's Necessary

“Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” - St. Francis of Assisi


Nothing is impossible.   That is what I am beginning to understand.   


Yet how do I start to do the impossible?   It is not like I can leap tall buildings in a single bound or cure all the disease in the world.   It would be nice...don't get me wrong.   


I think ol' Francis had the right idea.   The larger issues in this life may seem too large for any one person to handle.   I know that that is what it feel like to me.   But instead of being overwhelmed by the needs of everyone, I am reminded to do what I can do.   I can start by doing what is necessary.


What is necessary is that I do for my family.   We come together if there is a problem with one of us and if we can we try to address it.   Anyone one do the same.   I also do for myself.   It is not self-centered to provide for yourself.   You cannot feed one person by being poor.   You cannot get so depressed that you can help another that is depressed.   


Sometimes things come up that are beyond self or family that have to be addressed.   The blatant cruelty, or injustice that we may come upon.   Child abuse, spousal abuse, bullying, violence, an attempt at suicide.   Sometimes we are there and we need to intervene.   It is doing what is necessary.


Then we can do what is possible.   It may not be possible for me to feed all the hungry even in my home town.   However, I can buy and extra box of granola bars or oatmeal when I go shopping and give them to the food pantry, or keep breakfast bars in my car and give them to people on the street corners that ask for help.  I can donate my time to help out the elderly or teach another to read.   In fact, if I really try, I can come up with a list of thousands of things that I can do right now.


When we accept that we must to the necessary and can do the possible, suddenly there comes a time when all of those things add up, and all the other people who feel the same way have achieved what was once considered impossible.


Is it impossible to eradicate hunger in a town.   Just use the Internet and see how many food programs were started by either one or a handful of people.  Most did not start out with the idea to eradicate a social problem, but they did either in part or in full.   Some would have considered it impossible.   It is not.   It just takes a desire, a possibility, and a vision.


Perhaps ol' Francis had it right.   Do the necessary...the possible...and the impossible will take care of itself.