How to Handle Faults at Work

The other day, my fax software acted buggy. It's always worked like a dream and that's why I use it. But all of a sudden it wouldn't fax something. So I took a deep breath, called customer support, and spent 45 minutes that I really couldn't spare finding and fixing the problem. Ah, the joys of running a small business! But the good news was that I just took this one in stride and got right back to what I was working on without much fuss.

Other days, the same issue might pop up and I'd start pulling my hair out. I'd let myself get frustrated, angry, feel sorry for myself . You'd think after all this time I wouldn't slip into this sort of behavior, but I do sometimes. No matter how much I try to discipline myself, I still occasionally slip into these unproductive ways of dealing with the inevitable problems the day brings.

The same thing goes on in my spiritual life. Some days go great; on other days those little (or maybe big) faults I have get in the way. I can't seem to pray. I'm selfish, uncharitable. I lose my temper...whatever. Some faults, no matter how hard I work at them, keep coming back. It's frustrating to keep slipping and falling, isn't it?

So why does God allow this stuff to keep happening? How come no mater how hard I pray or how hard I work to discipline myself, some of those faults just stick to me no matter what I do? Archbishop Alban Goodier, S.J. has some advice about this I wanted to share with you:

1. It is possible –

·         to make too little of daily faults,

·         to make too much of them,

·         in either case to leave them alone, either as of no account, or as being incurable.

2.       One of the best signs of a healthy spiritual life is refusal to acquiesce in daily faults. They may always be there, like weeds in a garden. The best ground grows the most weeds, and needs to be weeded most.

3.       Faults, or at least temptations, are to be expected.

·         Because of the craving of our human nature which is ‘prone to evil’;

·         Because of past sins and habits;

·         Because of the enemy, who will never leave alone those who really try;

·         Because of the permission of God, who sees they are good for us.

4.       Why does He permit them?

·         For our humiliation: showing us what creatures we are;

·         For our instruction: teaching us by experience what otherwise we would never learn; making us more sympathetic with sinners, seeing what we find ourselves to be;

·         For our sanctification: because of the constant battle: that we may have something to give continually to God.

I don't know about you, but this all makes perfect sense to me. I think I can make more sense out of my unproductive reactions at work when I look at this. Maybe that's also God's way of helping me to grow closer to Him. You know, now that I think about it, I do occasionally remember to call on Him to help me out at work when I get thrown off my game. (Wouldn't it be great if I always remembered to call on Him?)

I think I'll keep these wise words from Archbishop Goodier somewhere and refer back to them from time to time. I have a feeling those faults aren't going away anytime soon.