An old friend shared with me that he was having trouble with his Lenten promise.
"This not eating between meals is killing me," he said.
"That's a tough one," I answered. "But maybe you've set the bar too high for yourself. Look at me. I'm having a great Lent."
"And what exactly are you doing for Lent?" he asked, an annoyed look on his face.
"I'm trying to be nice to anyone called Mike, like my friend Mike at pickleball or deacon Mike at our church. And say, isn't that Mike Babcock an amazing coach."
My friend couldn't help but laugh.
"You know, you can be a real jerk sometimes," he exclaimed.
"I'll take that as a compliment," I replied.
Raising the bar too high reminds me of the book I'm currently reading called Come Be My Light by Mother Teresa. It is a collection of her private writings which explain her vocation to serve the poor and homeless of India. A very inspiring read although at times it makes me feel like a tourist at a base camp watching a sherpa skillfully scaling K-2 although my better self knows that sainthood should not be a spectator sport.
However I can relate to her life when she writes,
"When I see someone sad, I always think, she is refusing something to Jesus. Cheerfulness is a sign of a generous and mortified person who forgetting all things, even herself, tries to please her God in all she does for souls. Cheerfulness is often a cloak which hides a life of sacrifice, continual union with God, fervour and generosity. A person who has this gift of cheerfulness very often reaches a great height of perfection. For God loves a cheerful giver and He takes close to His heart the religious He loves."
Certainly I can break out a smile as I set out to climb that mountain today.
No comments:
Post a Comment