It is Never too Late to be Who We Truly Are

The Wisdom of George Eliot

The journey through George Eliot’s life changing novel MiddleMarch – A Study of Provincial Life begins with a look back into the young life of Saint Theresa of Avila. As a child, little Theresa and her younger brother set out from Avila to find martyrdom as a means to restore peace in the suffering country of the Moors. Eliot then quickly takes us into the hidden life of the innumerable quiet souls struggling with hard times not unlike the mystical saint.

Thus, the magnificent nineteenth century writer points to the existence of the “many Theresas in our world who found for themselves no epic life; perhaps only a life of mistakes; or a tragic failure with no sacred poet and sank un-wept into oblivion.”

Through the lives of the characters living in Middlemarch, Eliot shows us that “it is never too late to be who we truly are.”

The Life of George Eliot They struggle through different circumstances of loss, and regret bad marriages with a soulful yearning to turn to a page in their story with a changed past. Yet through their courageous perseverance, we see returning joy and the beauty of renewed hope that comes when staying in the fight to live as a force for good in the world, even when life puts us on our knees.

As my favorite character Dorothea shares:

“That by desiring what is perfectly good, even when we don’t quite know what it is and cannot do what we would, we are part of the divine power against evil – widening the skirts of light and making the struggle with darkness narrower.”

This is why I keep plunging into the wisdom of George Eliot.

I discover what I value the most in life and everything worth fighting for. That is, we must strive to remain a force for good in the face of adversity and despair. With weeping tears, strength comes to find our way through the darkest valley. Middlemarch beautifully captures what it means for a suffering person to find compassion when the world paints their future with failure. Ultimately, we are taken to a place that unveils the degree to which we must overcome the voice of hopelessness whispering from within ourselves. And then, the beautiful knowingness that it is never too late to start anew awakens the spirit to receive the blissful coming of a new day.

Through all the unexpected twists and turns lived in the unforgiving world of Middlemarch, Eliot‘s gentle voice is that angel of light we hear speaking tenderness into our thoughts like a most trustworthy friend. I find a lit candle waiting for me each time I travel through the wisdom of her words, taking them with me to ponder time and again.

By drawing from her own well of hardships, Eliot makes the powerful case to believe that we are changing beings given the divine gift and spiritual liberty to continually transform our lives – always for the better. Middlemarch unveils the beauty of leading a life centered on simplicity, free of all the complexity poured out by a fractured world thirsting for love. However to find true joy, the road must be traveled anchored by the light of hope, compassion and honor.

For Eliot, love is the ultimate force of good moving us to see ourselves not only as we are – but all that we can be made in the image of God.