Better Versions of Ourselves

I am reading Pride and Prejudice again. For those who scoff and think it is just a girly story full of nonsense, they must not have been paying attention to the story. I think perhaps this is very popular with girls because it tells a story, which was first published in 1813, of manners quite unaccustomed to our modern day. Men standing when a lady enters the room? Speaking to one another with respect? Addressing people by their surname (ex. Ms. Bennet or Mr. Darcy)? Men pursuing a lady with gentlemanly manners? Handwritten letters? Where has all that gone?

One of the main reasons I would be so eager to live in a different century (the 1800's) is because of Jane Austen and her stories. Of course they are fiction and of course there is silliness, but Jane Austen wrote about what she knew, and all the details, manners, social dispositions, and situations are taken from the life surrounding her. The English life with long walks in the country and meals shared with family. Most people today would be at a loss if their entertainment was void of any technology. Dances, reading, music, and games were evening entertainment in Jane Austen's day, and of course, good conversation.

With each reading of my favourite books, I realize something I may not have paid much attention to previously. What I notice in this reading is how timing is crucial. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are not at the right place within their own self. Their character must develop into some better versions of themselves. Getting over pride, conceit, and judgmental assumptions. It is only after they tell each other of their faults that they work to improve what only the other could see and be bold enough to point out. It's the 'iron sharpens iron' effect. It's the honest conversations they have with each other. It turns out, they are quite similar, even though at first glance (or with their 'first impressions', to borrow what Jane Austen originally titled P & P before it was published) they seem so different.

It reminds me that there are things I need to improve on, to make a better version of myself. As long as I work on this, I won't have to worry about the timing of things. They will fall into place because I will be focused on what God wants me to work on.