Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit (Proverbs 25:28).
Anyone who says it's easy to live the Christian life hasn't lived the Christian life very long. As Thomas a Kempis recognized, "No one undergoes a stronger struggle than the man who tries to subdue himself."
My experience at a traffic light some time ago illustrates my continuing struggle to subdue myself to Christ. When I delayed longer than the driver behind me thought necessary, he tapped his horn to catch my attention.
Well, he caught it. I still don't know why I did what I did, but in a heartbeat my blood pressure exploded through the sunroof of my Chevy. I glared into the rearview mirror, flailed my arms and growled a string of epithets I was later glad he didn't hear.
So much for reflecting Christ's life and controlling my spirit.
Any difficult task – like subduing myself, or holding my tongue, turning the other cheek or going the extra mile – requires practice before the doing becomes easier. But the alternative is to give others good reason to turn from Christ, scorn the Church and reject the message of reconciliation to God.
Practice is the much better option.
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1 comment:
Ah, yes. The ugly things that spew from my mouth over petty, petty things. I'm praying for the ability to do nothing for 30-seconds or so. I do think, though, these episodes are also reminders of our humanity -- little chips off the gloss of overweaning pride.
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