OVERCOMING BAD HABITS
True love of God is not to be
mere lip service. It is an intelligent conviction that we owe Him
everything. It is a firm persuasion that He deserves the very best we
can offer. Through this awareness, God offers us the strength to do what
is right and good, even when our feelings, moods, and desires, would
prefer to behave differently. Generosity towards God means loving Him
more than our own imperfect natural dispositions and desires.
Our Lord speaks of meekness and
humility as two of His special lessons to us. Meekness is the virtue of
gentleness with our neighbors, especially with those who arouse our
anger. Jesus wants us to take this as a personal lesson from Him. The
signs of a deep pride or selfishness are actually anger and impatience.
We are aroused when matters do not go as we wish. Arousal to a just
anger is very rare. Most of the time we become angry because we lack
understanding, or sympathy, or patience, or a willingness to suffer any
more than we must.
At times we delude ourselves
into thinking that we are actually displeasing God! One sure proof that
we love God is a patient love of our neighbors. The more we try to help
our neighbors to be patient with their faults, defects, and
shortcomings, the more we will prove ourselves unselfish and generous
with God. Jesus said that we do to Him what we do to our neighbors. Does
our treatment of others show love of God or love of self? Just as we
tend to favor ourselves in most matters, so too should we learn to favor
our neighbors. We find it easy to excuse ourselves. Let us instead try
to excuse the mistakes of our neighbors.
We must remember that all of our
talents belong to God. Moreover, in spite of our talents and virtues, we
also have faults and defects. Once we are honestly convinced of our
limitations and shortcomings ,we will find it easier to think well of
our neighbors. If our self-love blinds us to the truth about ourselves,
it is not true self-love. It hurts us, and makes our lives a little
harder for those around us.
How much peace of soul we could
enjoy if only we could learn to mind our own business. Judging our
neighbors is such a waste of precious time. We are so often wrong when
we think ill of them. If we dislike someone, we feel inclined to judge
them more harshly than others. If God were our main interest, we would
never think ill of anyone, even those who really offend us. How often we
are aroused against our neighbors because, knowingly or unknowingly,
they have opposed our pride or selfishness in some way. We should not
expect everyone to see things our way. Every person is different and
each one has their own tastes and experiences. So often God excuses all
those whom we condemn.
One of our worst faults is that
of condemning our neighbors. This is the reason that Jesus taught us the
doctrine of charity. As we judge our neighbors, so will we be judged by
God. If we condemn our neighbors, we too will be condemned. If we are
true followers of Christ we are more ready to think well of our
neighbors than to think evil. Those of us who follow our feelings and
refuse to think, keep chasing after permanent happiness and peace, where
we can never find them. We go on hoping that after the failures and
disappointment, we will find at least what we have not found thus far.
Little do we realize that only in the friendship and love of God can we
find what we desire.
- Dale D. Deshautelles
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