I Take off the MASK!

“A life well lived is a chain of good choices made from one tough moment of decision to the other.” – Jocelyn Soriano

Being good is not a one-time decision in life. It is a moment by moment choice to do what is right; even when it’s hard, even when it’s no longer comfortable, even when you have to make a sacrifice. And this is why many people fail. They think it’s enough that they have made one very important decision, but they fail to live up to that choice by daily commitment, hope and perseverance.

“I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God’s blessing and God’s curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life.” – Deuteronomy 30:19, WEB

“When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.” – Helen Keller

Don’t give up even if you feel that your work is not being recognized. As long as you know in your heart that what you are doing is an offering of love, there will always be meaning to what you’re doing.

Others may seem prosperous for a time but let us remember that we can’t see how they would end up yet. It is better to be patient for the moment and be victorious in the end rather than enjoy temporary pleasures and reap destruction for a life of lies and worthless achievements.

Time will come when even the smallest of your good works will be proclaimed in the light. That will be the time of your due honor and reward.

“Stand by your duty and stick to it; grow old at your work. Don’t be jealous of what sinners achieve; just stick to your own work, and trust the Lord. It is very easy for the Lord to make a poor person suddenly rich. Devout people will receive the Lord’s blessing as their reward, and that blessing can be given in a moment.” – Sirach 11:20-22, GNT

“Holding anger is a poison…It eats you from inside…We think that by hating someone we hurt them…But hatred is a curved blade…and the harm we do to others…we also do to ourselves.”
? Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Why do we always have to be the one to understand, to forgive, to be kind, to love? Why must we be the one to be good? Isn’t it unfair that we’re only the ones trying to treat other people in the right way?

Using our natural human instincts, we feel a certain tendency to think of fairness in this way of thinking. We’re trying so hard to be good; therefore, others should also do their part. If they don’t do their part, isn’t it only fair that we don’t do ours?

But what happens then when we follow this line of thought? Are we indeed better off by inclining to evil just because others are doing the same?

It isn’t only to the other person’s benefit that we are being called to do what is right. It is first of all for our own sake. We try to understand others because it is by doing so that we are able to lift the burden of hurt we’re carrying within us. We try to forgive because only in doing so can we be truly healed. We try to be kind because it makes our own souls beautiful. We try to love because only in loving can we find the true meaning and happiness we’ve been searching for.

Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:19-21, WEB

The life of the body is a heart at peace,
but envy rots the bones.
-Proverbs 14:30, WEB

Why compare yourself with another? If you find that they are better, wouldn’t your envy just be aroused? If you find that you are far better, wouldn’t pride just fill your heart?

For what is the point in always being conscious of where we stand as compared with another? What is the point of always competing and striving to be the very best?

God has made only one person that is you, there is no other. If you would like to be the best, be the best of who you are and you will find your peace.

“Our Christian destiny is, in fact, a great one: but we cannot achieve greatness unless we lose all interest in being great. For our own idea of greatness is illusory, and if we pay too much attention to it we will be lured out of the peace and stability of the being God gave us, and seek to live in a myth we have created for ourselves. And when we are truly ourselves we lose most of the futile self-consciousness that keeps us constantly comparing ourselves with others in order to see how big we are.” – Thomas Merton

“Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of your own.” – Harold Coffin

Many times, we do things without proper contemplation and we reap the consequences of our negligence.

All of a sudden, fear grips our hearts. We may even run away to escape. We live a life of lies. All these because we are afraid to face the results of our actions.

Something happens though when we finally find the courage to face the shadows of our past. Something happens when we finally decide to do what is right, to be set free from our lies, to pursue the light instead of staying suffocated in the dark.

Fear threatens to cripple us, but courage will help us restore what we have lost and claim all the good things the future holds for us.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14