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Emotions - Good Servants, Bad Masters
"My child, do not trust your present affections, for they quickly change from one to another. As long as you live, your moods will change, even though you do not will it. Sometimes you are happy, at other times sad; now you are at peace, then you are upset; at one time devout, at another spiritually dry; sometimes full of vigor, at other times sluggish; one day elated, the next day gloomy.
But those who are wise and well instructed in the spiritual life rise above these changing moods, ignoring their inner feelings... thus they can remain stable and unshaken through many changing events, always directing their intention toward Me. The purer your intention is, the greater will be your constancy in weathering these diverse storms."
Thomas A Kempis, "The Imitation of Christ", NY, Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1977, p167-168
posted by Holly at 7:54 AM
1 Comments:
"Emotions are good servants, but bad masters."
Our emotions are fickle and so we can't really count on them as the leader of our souls or our actions. One day I feel invigorated and I sail through my Mother's Rule. But on another, I am tired and unmotivated, and I can be tempted to slack off, give up, let it go, and sit and mope. All people go through this struggle to some extent, so it is normal and nothing to feel bad about.
Our emotions are meant to tell us where we are at, but not meant to determine what we 'do' necessarily. Yes, we listen to their communication, and take into account the state of our fallen heart, but nonetheless, there are times when we've just got to work without them, or against them, and pray to God to change our hearts.
The functions of our souls are intellect and will, and so we need to decide to 'do what we ought' today, regardless of whether we 'feel good' about it. And if this is hard, maybe we move a little slower so as not to cause too much of a civil war, but we still move on -toward doing what we know God is asking of us.
To give into our emotional complaints does not free us -but instead can dump us into an emotional quagmire. Peace is found only in God's Will, not in pleasing ourselves.
In these times, if I have given into whim and emotion, after having suffered the effects of such a surrender, the only solution for me is to get up, and start tidying that living room, offering it to God and asking for his help.
It is our wills which count most here. We do what we know God wants - to fulfill our 5 Ps -- and we focus on Him and do all for Him. He Himself will bring about our interior order as time passes.
The struggle is always hardest at the beginning, but by acting in conformity with what we know is good and true, we do our part in restoring internal order and peace.
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