Sometimes Taking It Easy Is the Best Way
Men: Take it easy!
Some of us work hard, day after day. In fact, in these tough times, you can't afford to slack off even for a minute.
If you own a business, you need to keep revenue flowing. And in hard economic times, that flow can feel like molasses. But you keep plugging away.
If you're a professional - an accountant, a lawyer, a financial adviser, etc. - you may find clients are tighter with their money. They either don't want to engage your services, or they're looking for a reduced fee. Hey, times are tough. They're pinching pennies.
If you're an employee, maybe your boss is all over you to do "more," to be more productive. More work, more hours, same pay - maybe even less pay.
And we Catholic men, through it all, can't let our spiritual lives wither. We can't give up on trying to sanctify our work, no matter how distracting the daily struggle may be. Between our daily struggle at work, and our struggle to keep our spiritual life strong, life can seem especially daunting these days.
Let's face it, these aren't easy times.
But wait! I found some relief. Father William Doyle, S.J. wrote:
Get it? If you've been working hard on building up some particular virtue - let's say on only speaking charitably about your fellow workers - never gossiping, never detracting - maybe you're finding it easier now. And if it seems easier, it doesn't take away from the merit of your actions.
Hey, it's not all "no pain, no gain." Life doesn't have to be so hard. It's OK to pat yourself on the back once in a while.
So that struggle to be more virtuous isn't always just a grind, isn't always like climbing some mountain that's always too high or too steep. You put in that tough work and sometime, someday, it pays off.
Now you know that in the spiritual life, there's always light at the end of the tunnel. You know your efforts will pay off. You know there's some rest at some point, some easing of the pain of facing your sins, your faults.
Ah, things are looking up. Life is better. God is good.
And you know what? Doesn't this help spur you on now? Don't you feel like you can face the daily grind, even in these tough times, with renewed spirit. See how God just helped us all get out from under the weight of the difficulties of life. It's okay to lighten up once in a while.
So even if your boss is still all over you, or revenue's tough to generate, or your clients don't want to part with their money, there's always that little victory in your spiritual life that can make it all just a little easier.
So don't neglect sanctifying your work, OK?
Some of us work hard, day after day. In fact, in these tough times, you can't afford to slack off even for a minute.
If you own a business, you need to keep revenue flowing. And in hard economic times, that flow can feel like molasses. But you keep plugging away.
If you're a professional - an accountant, a lawyer, a financial adviser, etc. - you may find clients are tighter with their money. They either don't want to engage your services, or they're looking for a reduced fee. Hey, times are tough. They're pinching pennies.
If you're an employee, maybe your boss is all over you to do "more," to be more productive. More work, more hours, same pay - maybe even less pay.
And we Catholic men, through it all, can't let our spiritual lives wither. We can't give up on trying to sanctify our work, no matter how distracting the daily struggle may be. Between our daily struggle at work, and our struggle to keep our spiritual life strong, life can seem especially daunting these days.
Let's face it, these aren't easy times.
But wait! I found some relief. Father William Doyle, S.J. wrote:
“Solid virtue is so called because it is formed by amassing together a facility in repeated acts. Hence the practice of any virtue is not the less meritorious because it is easy. Quite the contrary. The merit depends on the intention we had when we determined to practice the virtue, and not on the amount of pain it costs.”
Get it? If you've been working hard on building up some particular virtue - let's say on only speaking charitably about your fellow workers - never gossiping, never detracting - maybe you're finding it easier now. And if it seems easier, it doesn't take away from the merit of your actions.
Hey, it's not all "no pain, no gain." Life doesn't have to be so hard. It's OK to pat yourself on the back once in a while.
So that struggle to be more virtuous isn't always just a grind, isn't always like climbing some mountain that's always too high or too steep. You put in that tough work and sometime, someday, it pays off.
Now you know that in the spiritual life, there's always light at the end of the tunnel. You know your efforts will pay off. You know there's some rest at some point, some easing of the pain of facing your sins, your faults.
Ah, things are looking up. Life is better. God is good.
And you know what? Doesn't this help spur you on now? Don't you feel like you can face the daily grind, even in these tough times, with renewed spirit. See how God just helped us all get out from under the weight of the difficulties of life. It's okay to lighten up once in a while.
So even if your boss is still all over you, or revenue's tough to generate, or your clients don't want to part with their money, there's always that little victory in your spiritual life that can make it all just a little easier.
So don't neglect sanctifying your work, OK?
Comments