Oh what a beautiful view...

[I wrote this as a Facebook note once but figured I may as well repost it on here!]

"I wish we could open our eyes,
To see in all directions at the same time.
Oh what a beautiful view,
If you were never aware of what was around you"
-- Death Cab for Cutie - Marching Bands of Manhattan

Picture a typical Monday morning (or really, any weekday morning)... walking around, going to school or work. With few exceptions, everyone has a dreadfully dull look on their face. You probably do too (I know I usually do). Everyone seems to be simply... bored. And unfulfilled. But that's not how it should be. That's not how it's supposed to be. To put it simply, I think, in many respects, we've lost our excitement for life. The way the snow falls, the way the leaves change colors, a letter from a friend, the way we can affect the lives of others... these things are exciting! If we really stopped to appreciate life and the things around us, I would humbly suggest that we would be in awe. The grandeur of the world is mindblowing, but we reduce it to its simplest level. We are always thinking about the things we have to do and need to get done, and we stop focusing on simply enjoying things. Things like watching the snow fall, or seeing how our bodies adapt to freezing temperatures, or enjoying the presence of the people around us. These are things to be celebrated, not tossed aside and forgotten.

This reminds me again of a quote from GK Chesterton that I've used before, but it's so good I'll use it again. "How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it; if you could really look at other men with common curiosity and pleasure; if you could see them walking as they are in their sunny selfishness and virile indifference! You would begin to be interested in them, because they were not interested in you. You would break out of this tiny and tawdry theatre in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky, in a street full of splendid strangers." Life isn't boring, we're just not looking hard enough. Or in the right places.

In many respects, most of us have resigned ourselves to being ordinary. Cogs in the machine. But we shouldn't be satisfied with this, we are called to be better. "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Mt 5:48) We cease to think big, and focus more on our limitations than our abilities. We fit in with the crowd. As Marianne Williamson writes, "We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone." We see no way to break out of the day-to-day doldrums, and so at some point we simply stop trying. We become content to be an average worker, average student, average friend, average listener, average person. It's easier that way. It's less work, and we probably won't be called out for it. No one finds it easy to go the extra mile, to help out just a little longer, to be a friend even when it's not convenient... but these are the things we were made for. We must continually strive to become better than we are, to turn weaknesses into strengths. Change isn't impossible, it's just hard.

Being ordinary people (in our own minds), we begin to lose sight of our dreams! We forget we even had any in the first place. Or we keep putting them off for "someday." We forget the importance of them. Matthew Kelly writes, "Isn't one of the primary responsibilities of all relationships to help each other fulfill our dreams?" (Dream Manager) Instead, what happens is this... if someone tells us their dreams, we make a face and say "good luck," knowing it will be hard and take a lot of work, more than we ourselves would probably want to do. Plus, if we're honest with ourselves, we're probably a little jealous, because having dreams helps give us a sense of purpose, and we lose that to some degree when we lose our dreams. Think about it... if our only goal is surviving, then of course we'll get caught up in everyday things, and find them all boring and ultimately unsatisfying. When we have dreams and goals, it gives us something to look forward to. Ultimately, hopefully the end goal is heaven(!), but it's good to have some intermediate goals too. As Jack Johnson sings, "Don't let your dreams be dreams." Dream big, and work to achieve it. As Henry David Thoreau writes, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined."

Ultimately, we should seek to change the world! Lofty goal, right? It sure seems daunting, upon first blush, but I don't think it's as hard as you think. By every act of kindness, every act of love, every small thing we do, we change the world (for good or bad). Maybe it's small, but it helps. "It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness." (Confucius) To put it at the simplest level, think of when anyone (even a stranger) smiles at you, or says hello, or opens the door for you... doesn't that put you in a better mood, brighten your day? It does for me. Doesn't that make you more likely to reciprocate, or do something nice for someone else? It does for me. It's a small action, but it might start a chain of small actions. Everything we do affects others, even if we don't know it. Mother Teresa has so many great quotes on this, but I'll limit myself to two. First, "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." We might feel it makes no difference to anyone else if we're a little crabby, and this causes us to be a little rude, or simply indifferent to those around us. But life is all about the small actions, the little details. Again from Mother Teresa, "We do not need to carry out grand things in order to show a great love for God and for our neighbor. It is in the intensity of love we put into our gestures that makes them something beautiful for God."

Lastly, I would suggest this... if you are constantly seeking to help others, or simply in the mindset of appreciating everything around us, the reverberations will be felt. Again, at the simplest level, it's like this... when I am able to put the little worries out of my mind, it allows me to focus on the great things of life. When I do that, I'm happier. When I'm happier, I smile more, and help out others more. When I do that, I help make others happier. Still think you have no affect on others? Think about the happiest person you know... are you happier when you're around them? Your happiness makes other people happier, your unselfishness makes other people unselfish... at the same time, your worrying causes other people to worry, your dissatisfaction causes other people to be dissatisfied. There are exceptions to every rule, but I have found that we are indelibly linked to those around us, and we feed off of them many times, whether good or bad. Again, Marianne Williamson writes, "And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." There's a popular quote by Gandhi that says, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." This is not idealistic fluff, it's practical, life-changing advice.

Thank you to all of you who help me look beyond myself, who help me not to be satisfied with being ordinary, who help me reach for my dreams!

Scripture Sunday: Matthew 11:28

Every Sunday on this site I will take some time to look at a passage from the Bible that I like and think is great... though they could obviously be presented by themselves without further mention, I will throw my two cents in on what the verse(s) mean to me.

This week we look at a verse that should be a comfort to all of us when we are overwhelmed, stressed out, worried, or frustrated. It comes from the 11th chapter of Matthew.

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."

I read that and see God as the great comforter in our lives, the friend who will always be there to listen to us when we are in need, or who will always comfort us when we need it.

There might be times in our lives where it seems like the whole word is against us, and we simply cannot get a break. It will be very difficult to find peace and comfort in these times, but Jesus reminds us that we simply need to go to Him, and He will give us rest.

Lessons From Mere Christianity: Self-Improvement

This is a post from my series called Lessons From Mere Christianity.

All of the writings in the world would do us no good if we didn't take them to heart, become closer to God, and thereby become a better person. But sometimes we need a little direction on how to overcome our faults and become better people. Lewis offers some good advice, including some of my favorite advice ever. A couple related quotes:

"Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbour; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him." (131)

"When you are not feeling particularly friendly, but you know you ought to be, the best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes, as we all have noticed, you will be feeling really friendlier than you were. Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already." (188)

This falls under the 'fake it 'til you make it' line of thinking, and I think it is one that works very well, even in situations that you might not think it would. For the longest time, I was terrible at flossing... I rarely did it, and my dentists yelled at me every time I went in. Nothing could motivate me to floss though. Then, I thought, why don't I just pretend that I care about flossing, and that it is very important to me. So I tried it... and now I floss twice a day, almost without fail (this is a true story).

This I believe would hold true for almost any virtue or habit. If you are a bad public speaker, you would get better in time by pretending that you are actually a good public speaker. This would give you more confidence (slowly, at first, but then more and more), which would then give you the courage to public speak (and practice it), and soon you would be better at it. I believe the same goes for courage (pretend you're brave, and you will be brave), faithfulness, anything.

If anyone was looking to overcome a fault or something that they wanted to change in their life, this is probably the first advice that I would give them.

But what if you are headed down the wrong path? In such cases, there might be no quick fix to your situation. But that does not mean to keep trodding the same path. Once again, sometimes the longest way round is the shortest way home.

"But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man." (28)

If you are stuck in a bad situation, bad relationship, bad habit... there is nothing progressive or admirable about trying to stick it out. In short, progress, becoming a better person, and improving your life means turning away from it, however hard and difficult it may be. You might not realize the benefits in the short term, but it will pay off greatly in the long run.

Finally, we must always keep in mind that no deed, no act, is too small. The little things are where we build our character. If we are not faithful in small matters, then how could we possibly expect to be faithful in large matters?

"Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of." (132)

As Aristotle famously wrote, excellence is a habit. And one that we need to practice in all decisions, big or small, if we hope to acquire it.

Dependence on God

I once heard a story by Fr. Tom Richter talking about our dependence on God, even if we don't always realize how much we depend on Him.

The story is about a little boy who we will call Johnny (because it just seems like the best little kid name!)... He tells it a lot better than I will type it, I am sure, but the gist of it will come through!

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Johnny was at recess with a couple of friends. He seemed very tired and worried, and his friends asked him, "Johnny, you look like you are exhausted and not having any fun? What is the problem?"

And Johnny says, "Well, I haven't been sleeping very well."

So, they ask him why he's not sleeping well, and he says, "I have been up all night trying to figure out how I am going to pay the mortgage, how I am going to feed all of the kids, what kind of job I am going to get. Don't you guys worry about that stuff?"

The friends tell him, "No Johnny, our daddy takes care of all of those things. Your daddy takes care of all of those things too, you don't have to worry about all of that."

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The moral of the story is, of course, that if we think that we are any less dependent on God than Johnny is dependent on his father for things like putting food on the table and paying the mortgage, then we have completely deluded ourselves.

Jesus, I Trust In You!

The things we can't change

It seems like for everybody there are things that they wish they could change, but they can't. Whether a bad habit, a bad situation, or any number of things, there is always something that we try over and over to change and we just never can seem to get over the hump and completely change it.

Many times, we (I know I have done it) get frustrated with God during these times, wondering why He won't just help us get out of our own way, or why we can't change other situations. We might think that the fact that we want to change and are trying hard to change should be enough for the change to happen, and we are hesitant to blame ourselves in the case of failure. Or, we might see a bad situation that somebody else is in and wonder why God isn't changing things even though we are praying for change.

However, if we let it, these types of situation can bring us the closest to God, because it in these things that we must trust totally in God and put our dependence on Him. I believe one of the ways that we receive most is when we have an interior trusting that God will take care of us, and especially in the things that we wish we could change but we can't.

We must seek God in all ways and in all things, putting our trust and dependence totally and completely on Him. He will never let us down.

Honoring God by Loving Mary

Here is a quote from St. Louis de Montfort in his book True Devotion to Mary:

He did not will to come into the world at an age of a perfect man, independent of others, but like a poor little babe, dependent on the care and support of his holy Mother. He is that infinite wisdom who had a boundless desire to glorify God His Father and to save men; and yet He found no more perfect means, no shorter way to do it, than to submit himself in all things to the Blessed Virgin, not only during eight, ten, or fifteen years of His life, like other children, but for thirty years! He gave more glory to God His Father during all that time of submission and dependence on our Blessed Lady than He would have given Him if He had employed those thirty years in working miracles, in preaching to the whole world, and in converting all men - all of which He would have done, could He have thereby contributed more to God's glory. (pg. 88-89

Just one of many reasons to love Mary :)

Scripture Sunday: Romans 8:18

Every Sunday on this site I will take some time to look at a passage from the Bible that I like and think is great... though they could obviously be presented by themselves without further mention, I will throw my two cents in on what the verse(s) mean to me.

Jesus tells us that in order to share in the glory with Him, we need to carry our cross, and accept our sufferings. Sometimes these sufferings can seem to be too great, but we have to always keep in mind that they are minuscule in comparison to the glory of heaven. Paul writes in Romans:

"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us."

If we are able to see things this way, our sufferings take on a whole new meaning. No longer would we despair when things go wrong, but we would rejoice, because we know that the suffering is bringing us closer to our Lord.

When we carry our cross and accept our sufferings, we are joined with Jesus and his suffering. We are able to understand God and His plan for us. Suffering can often leave us feeling empty, and feeling like we are ready to give up. This is the time to turn to God, who will provide comfort for us and show Himself to us.

In the end, we must do everything we can to have the attitude of Mother Teresa, as quoted in Come Be My Light:

"Now I really rejoice when something does not go as I wish = because I see that He wants our trust - that is why in the loss let us praise God as if we have got everything." (24)

Amen.

Lessons From Mere Christianity: Pride

This is a post from my series called Lessons From Mere Christianity.

If you asked people their biggest weakness, you would get a variety of answers. However, one you probably would not hear very often is pride. CS Lewis, however, feels it is a much greater sin and greater problem than most people believe. He writes:

"Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-state of mind." (122)

On the next page he says:

"Nearly all those evils in the world which people put down to greed or selfishness are really far more the result of Pride." (123)

Deep within people, there tends to be a desire to be better than everyone else. In itself, I don't think this is bad, to be the best you can be. But when you measure yourself in any way solely as against another person, the tendency for pride to sink in is enormous. As Lewis writes in another passage, pride takes pleasure not in having something, but in having more of it than others.

For example, if everyone was equally rich smart, or equally good looking, or an equal amount of anything, then you would not have pride in it. It would simply be another characteristic, another part of yourself. There is pride in being better than someone else, and that pride can cause you to look down on them, and make them your enemy.

If drawn to its logical conclusion, a prideful person wants to be better than everyone else at everything. That hits a bit of a snag when it comes to God, and indeed can place us in direct opposition of God. Lewis writes:

"In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that - and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison - you do not know God at all." (124)

The flip side is humility. The ability to see yourself as nothing, to forget about self and live for God and for others. A humble person knows that God is the master of his life, and that he is nothing without God. All of his graces, talents, knowledge, it all comes from God. No work is beneath him, nobody is too inconsequential to help.

Lewis describes such a person in this way:

"Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all." (128)

That is the type of person I strive to be, and I believe everyone should strive to be. I am far from there (not even close, really)... but imagine what a world we would live in if we were not so afflicted by pride.

Lion King - The Hula Song

Just a classic movie scene that you should watch and enjoy!!

:)

Don't let your dreams be dreams

Jack Johnson has perhaps my favorite music lyric of all time when he sings:

"don’t let your dreams be dreams/
you know this living’s not so hard as it seems"

“Don’t let your dreams be dreams.” That is such a simple thought, but if we would actually listen to it and live our lives by that motto, how different they would be. Instead of putting off our plans or hopes for the future for another day, we would take them by storm, never taking no for an option, and never settling for less than everything that we were called to be.

I suspect we would be happier, more fulfilled, more joyful, more caring, more loving, more patient, more kind. We would know that our life has meaning, and a very tangible meaning, rather than having to search for a reason to wake up in the morning and get through the workday. I suspect we would barely even recognize ourselves, because we would change the “somedays” in our life to “today.” Instead of hoping that we would be able to accomplish something, we would actively be working on it.

As Henry David Thoreau would say, “Live the life you’ve imagined.” Don’t let your dreams be dreams.

If not now, when?