As you may know, I’ve been reading a book called The Art of Prayer recently. This morning
I found a passage which is so practical and helpful that I’ve decided to offer
it to you as today’s meditation. I’ve found it to be helpful in light of that
fact that I recently lost my temper. I’m sure you know what that’s like. I wish
I had read this passage first:
“Make a following rule: first of all, anticipate trouble at
every moment and when it comes encounter it as something expected. Secondly,
when something happens that conflicts with your will and is on the point of
irritating or upsetting you, hasten to bring your attention into your heart and
strive with all your might to prevent such feelings from arising: steel
yourself against them and pray. If you succeed in preventing feelings of
irritation and disturbance from arising within you, then you are finished with
your trouble, for these feelings are its starting point. But if even a small
feeling is brought to birth, resolve, if possible, not to do or say anything
until you have managed to drive it away. If you find it impossible not to say
or do something, try not to talk and act according to those feelings but
according to God’s commandment, in the manner that He ordains, meekly and
quietly, as though nothing had happened.
“In the third place, put out of your mind all expectation
that the nature of things will change, and resign yourself to life-long
friction. Do not forget this or underrate its importance, for unless you act in
this way patience cannot be firmly established. Finally, with all this,
preserve a good-humored expression, an affable tone of speech, friendly
behavior, and above all avoid reminding people in any way about their unjust
words or deeds. Behave as though they had done nothing wrong. Accustom yourself
to preserve the remembrance of God unceasingly.”
Theophan the Recluse. The Art
of Prayer, pp. 228-229.
No comments:
Post a Comment