I have several friends who do not like self-examination. They feel that they do nothing really bad. They are not murderers. They do not abuse their children or spouses or the elderly. They are charitable. But I believe we are put on earth to learn, to grow, to become what our Maker intended for us to be. That means we must honestly look at ourselves and see where we mess up. The Ten Commandments were given to us as guidelines-for-life, for healthy and wholesome living, for growth.
I have another friend, a new one, whom I’ve never met, Shelly. I look at her blog every day. Sometimes she does not post. She is busy, like most of us. Her blog is aimed at spirituality for mothers (http://spiritualmotherhood.blogspot.com). But I gain a great deal from her posts. I’ve mentioned her before; I’ll do it again. We have found that we are on the same track. We want to be more loving, more forgiving, more like what we are intended to be. Sometimes I post my day’s thoughts, then turn to her blog, only to find she has posted something similar. Weird? Strange? I think it’s more that we have like minds and like thoughts. The wonderful part of it is in knowing we are not alone with our thoughts. The wonderful part is in knowing that others who read our posts want to be better, spiritually, too.
When I mention self-awareness, or spiritual growth by way of assessing where I’ve done wrong, I don’t mean we should become obsessive about examining our motives or our reactions. But we cannot change if we do not admit what needs to be changed. Can we change? Will we change? Not in every way that we want to. But we can at least want to try. I think that’s all God wants us to do - try.
Heavenly Father, please guide me each day, that I may see my mistakes and profit from them.
2 comments:
I am sooooo glad you posted this. I know so many people that reach a certain age and then they're like, "I'm set in my ways and there's nothing I can do to change."
What good is life if you've stopped growing, stopped learning, stopped experimenting?
My grandmother *who will be 89 this month* has been this way for almost 10 years. I know that she's doing well for her age, but come on guys, don't you want to do better than your age. When your on your own with no one to answer to, isn't that the time to travel and do new things and see what kind of person you can really become?
Thank you Bev, I am so happy that you can see that life isn't just a destination, it's a journey.
I loved my mother more than anyone on this earth, but she had the annoying habit of saying, "I'm an old lady now and I'm not changing for anyone." I pray I do not develop that attitude. I know that I can't say I "never" will, but I can try to avoid it. I want to change, every day, for the better. I fail miserably many days. But I try.
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