Today’s Gospel, Luke 6:
36-38, begins with Jesus saying to us: “Be merciful, just as your Father is
merciful.” How merciful am I toward
myself is the measure, I believe, of how merciful I am toward others. How honest I am toward myself is how honest I
am toward others. And the way I care for myself is the way I care for others.
As I reflect on my life,
I notice how difficult it is for me to give myself some slack. I am very stingy with myself when the little
girl within wants to play, for instance. I say to her: “I’m too busy; I got too
much to do.” And this is on a day
off! Then busily, many times, I frit
from one thing to another and don’t accomplish that which I thought I wanted to
do when my inner child suggested that I take some time for fun. What I failed
to remember is Jesus’ reminder, in this same Gospel passage, that, in giving,
gifts will be given to me. That
generosity, I believe, begins with self. If I am not generous toward myself, it
is unlikely that I will be generous with others. It is that simple and that complex. Lessons learned begin at home.
What about your
experience?
I love reading your thoughts. It's a nice break in my day and balances my perspectives.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Rebecca!
ReplyDelete