The story...
I sat down at the table with only one person sitting there. It seemed rude to squeeze in with my friends when this guy was by himself. He seemed uncomfortable, with me sitting with him, yet appreciating the company. Another guy sat with us too. Neither of them seemed to want to listen to my take on the questions and topics posed to the group - they've heard me freely express my thoughts, ideas and will before. So, I focused on better understanding each of them without stepping out to share my own perspectives which I've refined over the years. The conversation was smooth and balanced - everybody seemed to win. Better lifestyle practices were worked out - less preaching, pontificating or recommending. It felt good for my behavior and intentions to be more aligned; yes, I seemed to be more true to me and to the group too. I wanna live like that more often without trying - actually caring for others. The bar seems low, easy to do, yet I expect even my most focused effort to change my behavior will take much longer than I imagine unless I "actually" love my neighbor as myself.
The only church in town will be a place to develop meaningful relationships to walk through life with. Most importantly, our relationship with "That in Which There is No Greater."
Just for today...
"I realized that there was little I could change about the situation. All I could change was my response to it." Hope for Today (p. 247)
"What am I doing that creates difficulties for me or aggravates the ones I have? Could it be that I'm trying to fix everything by finding fault with somebody else?" One Day at a Time (p. 247)
"Strive to be patient; bear with the faults and frailties of others, for you, too, have many faults which others have to bear. If you cannot mould yourself as you would wish, how can you expect other people to be entirely to your liking? For we require other people to be perfect, but do not correct our own faults." Tomas Kempis - The Imitation of Christ (Ch. 16)
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