Our harshness to others is but a reflection of our harshness towards ourselves. And quite often, it also reflects how we think of God. Once we begin to see God’s kindness, we start to change in the way we treat ourselves and the people around us.
We often hear about people’s ‘RIGHTS’ and how people fight for them, rights such as the right to freedom and life and respect. But have we ever wondered where such rights come from? Who gives us those rights? Who takes them away? I guess the problem comes when those who take them away aren’t the ones who have the authority to give them in the first place. The problem also comes from not knowing what our rights really are. For me, it is God who gives us those rights, (if it is proper to call them rights). For everything God has given us He has given us only out of GRACE. We did not create ourselves, and we cannot demand anything from the one who created us out of nothing. We can only give thanks for all the things He has given us. And He gave us so much good! We are only the ones who spurn His blessings and choose darkness instead of light.
Love is patient. Patience is the very first description of love. But how many of us still know what patience really is? What is patience amidst an impatient world where everything is promised to be done within a click of a button? We can rarely put up with the word. We don’t know how to wait anymore. We want to have the things we want right here, and right now. Otherwise, we feel frustrated, and we quickly lose our hope as though we could never attain them anymore.
Patience is waiting with hope. Patience is also forgiving one another’s lapses, knowing that we are not perfect either. Patience is being able to persevere from day to day, putting up with the smallest of tasks, not being defeated by little inconveniences.
“Being patient … This does not mean being sad. No, no, it’s another thing! This means bearing, carrying the weight of difficulties, the weight of contradictions, the weight of tribulations on our shoulders…This is a process – allow me this word ‘process’ – a process of Christian maturity, through the path of patience. A process that takes some time, that you cannot undergo from one day to another: it evolves over a lifetime arriving at Christian maturity. It is like a good wine. ” – Pope Francis
Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, GNT
What do we want nowadays?
We want to ‘feel good’ without doing good things
or being good,
We want pleasure with no purpose,
relationships with no responsibility,
love without pain,
beauty without meaning,
journeys without destinations,
and life with no awareness of death
or what goes beyond that.
We want many things,
but we don’t know what we really need,
so in the end, we may say we’ve laughed,
but we have never really known joy.
We have been entertained,
but we have never known peace.
We have seized every delight
that this world could possibly give,
but have walked away empty,
and lost our very souls.
1. Choose your battles wisely. Don’t engage in useless arguments.
2. Anger is useful if it alerts us of danger and gives us strength to escape or protect ourselves or our loved ones.
3. Even anger can be a sign of love, such as God’s anger which warns us of evil and indicates He is still concerned for us and is opening the door for repentance and reconciliation.
4. We should not let anger control us and make us do things we would later regret. Don’t tempt yourself in dwelling in situations that would trigger your anger.
5. Know that you don’t know everything so before you get angry, pray. This will also obtain for you the grace to avoid sin.
6. Learn if you have wounds that are being triggered and manifested into anger so you can process their healing.
7. Keep yourself fit and avoid stress.
8. Have harmless methods of venting out your anger.
9. Forgive. We are all imperfect. We all have bad days and shortcomings.
10. Accept God’s forgiveness and understanding.
11. Keep your sense of humor handy.
12. Observe your boundaries and limitations.