Pride and Insults
I'm still reading "The Interior Castle" by St. Teresa of Avila. I seem to be able to read only a page or so before I encounter a thought so deep and convicting that I have to stop, pause, and pray.
Today, she had this to say:
"...we should be most vigilant in little things, taking no notice of the great works we plan during prayer which we imagine that we would perform for other people, even perhaps for the sake of saving a single soul...The devil's wiles are many; he would turn hell upside down a thousand times to make us think ourselves better than we are..."
She explains that thinking we are supposed to do these great works makes us feel prideful about our greatness, where something given by God never causes pride.
She went on:
"It is amusing to see souls who, while they are at prayer, fancy they are willing to be despised and publicly insulted for the love of God, yet afterwards do all they can to hide their small defects; if any one unjustly accuses them of a fault, God deliver us from their outcries! ... O sisters! how easy it is to know which of you have attained a sincere love of your neighbor, and which of you are far from it."
How often have I created vast plans of how I was going to serve the Lord? Learning that the plans all started with "I" was a painful experience. Now, I'm walking in a plan from God. It's not glamorous. I homeschool 4 kids, write, and work as the office manager of my husband's painting company. The lack of glamour doesn't make my work any less important or more important than if I was Beth Moore, leading thousands of women through the scriptures. We're both doing exactly what God's called us to.
As long as I keep saying, "yes" to God's will and don't worry about the rest (like people accusing me of things that are or aren't true), everything will be where it needs to be in the end. I don't need to appear on television to be important. I just need to do the little things God asks me to and not worry about the rest.
Today, she had this to say:
"...we should be most vigilant in little things, taking no notice of the great works we plan during prayer which we imagine that we would perform for other people, even perhaps for the sake of saving a single soul...The devil's wiles are many; he would turn hell upside down a thousand times to make us think ourselves better than we are..."
She explains that thinking we are supposed to do these great works makes us feel prideful about our greatness, where something given by God never causes pride.
She went on:
"It is amusing to see souls who, while they are at prayer, fancy they are willing to be despised and publicly insulted for the love of God, yet afterwards do all they can to hide their small defects; if any one unjustly accuses them of a fault, God deliver us from their outcries! ... O sisters! how easy it is to know which of you have attained a sincere love of your neighbor, and which of you are far from it."
How often have I created vast plans of how I was going to serve the Lord? Learning that the plans all started with "I" was a painful experience. Now, I'm walking in a plan from God. It's not glamorous. I homeschool 4 kids, write, and work as the office manager of my husband's painting company. The lack of glamour doesn't make my work any less important or more important than if I was Beth Moore, leading thousands of women through the scriptures. We're both doing exactly what God's called us to.
As long as I keep saying, "yes" to God's will and don't worry about the rest (like people accusing me of things that are or aren't true), everything will be where it needs to be in the end. I don't need to appear on television to be important. I just need to do the little things God asks me to and not worry about the rest.
posted by Terri | 10:15 AM
1 Comments:
I love this, Terri. It's also cool to put a face with the name of a moderator who gives so much of her time.
I appreciate you,
Suzie Eller
Post a Comment
<< Home