0

Were you touchy and difficult to live with ten years ago?  Look at that area of your life today.  Has anything changed?  Is the condition at all improved?  Did you resent an injury done to you in the past?  Are you still harboring the same old grudge today?  A dozen years ago did you have a violent temper that bought unhappiness to friends and family?  How about right now?  Is that temper under any better control today?  The thing that is shattering, devastating and shameful is that we can tolerate conditions like that year after year.  These are chronic  sicknesses of the soul.

Christian discipleship is not a static condition; it is a living relationship.  It is either     growing or it is dying.  It is either expanding or shrinking.  No person remains at the same level of childishness throughout all his or her adult years.  One either changes direction and grows up and becomes an adult, or else he or she regresses further and further into childishness.  A selfish person does not stop and stay on the same plateau of self-seeking.  He either opens his mind to the truth that there are bigger things in this world than his own needs and desires, or else he becomes more and more self-centered with the passing of years.

Whatever else Christian faith is, it is not laziness.  It is not sitting down with folded hands and waiting for God to solve our problems and shape our lives.  The only kind of faith that makes any real difference in our lives is the kind we act upon.

Take a look at your own life.  Has your Christian faith made any real difference in your life?  Are you spiritually stronger and healthier than you were years ago?  If not, why not? 

Christ is not going to mold and strengthen our lives by some kind of magic.  We become better in the fine act of Christian living in much the same way we become better at anything.  How do you become better in baseball?  …you work at it.  How do you become skilled in the game of golf? …you work at it.  Long, hard hours of practice.

How do you build a Christ-like life?  …you work at it.  But you are not left to your own devices.  You have the presence and help of the Master Teacher, Jesus Himself, but still you have to work at it. 

Practice being a Christian.  The next time something happens that irritates you, instead of blowing your stack like you’ve done for years, try being a Christian.  Exercise some patience.  Your patience muscles are probably flabby and soft.  Being a Christian takes practice.  The point is, the only faith that works is the faith that’s willing to work.  God is not going to do for you what you could do yourself. 

Do you really and truly want to change?  Are you really serious about being a Christian?  Just reach out and touch Jesus for help.  Through the sacraments, through prayer, through bible sharing … you can truly find and reach out to and touch Jesus.  He can heal the chronic sicknesses of our soul by teaching us how it is done.  He is waiting for us to come to Him.  He wants to show you the way.