Mrs. Ser

There was a lady named Mrs. Ser. Once upon a time, Mrs. Ser came across an infamous wise man. She had met the man earlier in her life, but had discounted him as not having any wisdom because of his appearance and a, noticeable and twisted, since of humor. One summer day, she experienced something very overwhelming. This something she had felt before and wasn't sure what to do. Having no place to turn she approached the infamous wise man for help. She said that she had felt something, something inside of her that she had faintly began to feel when she was much younger. It was a sensation that had become stronger as she grew older. She described it as a feeling, "That Feeling", she put it. The infamous wise man asked Mrs. Ser to describe "That Feeling" and to share, with him, what she thinks is the cause. Mrs. Ser could not provide an origin, but she felt it had always been with her. It made her feel lonely and desperate. She felt different than her friends, at times, because they always seem to have it together. It was terrifying at times too. She would feel it equally whether alone or in a crowd. The infamous wise man understood her symptoms, reflected on his own past failures, smiled and suggested these kind words: "What you feel is not real. It is an illusion. The next time it appears, do not run. Stand there even though your knees and the ground are shaking. Stand firm to it. Do not fight. Do not resist. Let it come in and do what it wants. It cannot hurt you. It is out to trick you into being afraid and lonely. It wants you to feed it, because it is hungry. It might even try to make you think that YOU are it. Know that YOU ARE NOT IT! Call the bluff. It may take more than one stand, but you must go the distance with it". She left the infamous wise man and never saw him again. She had left quite confused by his words and didn't completely understand. Some years later she had found herself alone and full of despair. She had forgotten most of what the infamous wise man had said to her. She begin to sadden, falling into severe depression. She decided to go for a walk to quiet her mind. There was an old condemned house that had been vacant for years. As she approached the house she could hear the cries on a kitten. At once she stopped, turned and walked into the dusty old house. She followed the cries to a small kitten perched on a small stack of books. She sat down and the kitten took to her at once. As she brought the kitten to her chest, she looked down and saw an old bible. She was intrigued. She reached down for it, but the dusty covers slipped from her fingers and fell onto the floor. As she reached for it again she saw that the book had opened, displaying a highlighted text which read: "7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." She picked up the book and left the old house holding the kitten. She thought of the words she had just found and the infamous wise man. She let out a relaxed sigh as it began to rain...