“Cast all your troubles on God; He loves you." ~ 1 Peter 5:7
The authenticity of this story is
irrelevant. But it illustrates a heartwarming
lesson.
A prolific, early 20th-century novelist, Franz Kafka did his
best to insulate himself from the dismal reality of Berlin’s spiraling
unemployment, violence, and inflation.
Strolling through Steglitz Park, he chanced upon a young girl heartbroken
by the loss of her favorite doll.
Moved by her tears and unable to
remedy the pain of losing the doll, Kafka quickly devised a solution to calm her. He explained that the doll had left on a long
journey, but hadn’t forgotten her. The
doll had written her a letter and he’d bring it to her if she returned
the next day.
Back home, Kafka wrote a letter,
with the same feverish intensity he’d poured into his other classics. He wouldn’t cheat the little girl; he
insisted on getting it right.
True to form, he returned the following day letter in hand. When the girl spotted him, she raced toward
him with an intoxicating smile; as if bursting with liquid sunshine.
That was the beginning of many letters.
Kafka returned every day for
three weeks Kafka, fascinating her with written tales of her beloved doll’s incredible
journey, letting the pain evaporate in the dreamy folds of his imaginary stories. He focused exclusively on crafting the doll’s
letters - for no reason other than to console a wounded child he’d run into by
accident one random afternoon in the park.
During that time, the doll grew up, went to school, met
people from many cultures. He struggled
to come up with the perfect ending, worried that if he failed, its magic spell
would fracture.
The doll constantly reassured Petra of her love, but hinted
at various complications that made it difficult for her to return home. Little by little, Kafka seemed to be preparing
the girl for the time when the doll will vanish from her life forever.
Eventually however, Kafka read her a letter that brought the
doll back to Berlin. He handed her a new
doll that he’d purchased.
“This doesn’t look at all like my doll," Petra
said.
Kafka handed her one final
letter that explained, “Everything you love will eventually to be lost, but
in the end, love will return in a different way."
Petra girl hugged her new friend
and took it home.
She had the letters too! When someone is lucky enough to live inside a make-believe
story, the world’s pains soften. Too
often we hold onto something so tightly, or focus so intently on its loss, that
we don’t notice all the other wonderful aspects of life that remain and waiting
for us to grasp.
Lord, in Your mercy and kindness help me let
go of all the fears and worries, problems and doubts, guilt and disappointments
that fill my heart and mind today. Amen
