Bite-Sized Opportunities

A few weeks ago I was shopping with my youngest daughter (somehow we always end up at the mall when she is home for the weekend!). As we were checking out, she complimented the cashier on her beautiful eyes. The cashier, a mature woman, seemed surprised as the previous customer wasn't exactly pleasant. Her entire demeanor changed and she became cheerfully chatty. Made me smile.  When the girls were young and the teenage years challenging, I encouraged them to give compliments to offset all the negativity running rampant in their environments. People are innately good. But good people can say and do bad things. Toxic words and actions are a defense mechanism when feeling insecure or hurt. Nevertheless, when presented with repugnant situations, use them as opportunities to practice turning negatives into positives.  


In todays Gospel (Matthew 5:1-12), Jesus teaches His disciples about the Beatitudes (meaning blessedness): 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you."


An infinite amount of wisdom exists in the Bible. If we truly believe in Jesus Christ, we must believe in the words we read. But to live and breathe what we are called to do seems a little daunting, doesn't it? The beauty of it all is God doesn't expect perfection.  Only to strive toward perfection. Don't fear living what Jesus preaches because you can't (or won't) abide by all the "rules." Jesus has provided guidelines on how we should live our lives and we must aspire to adopt them. 

The following quote from Anne a lay apostle in her book Whispers from the Cross eases any fear we may have when thinking we have to be perfect: 

"The average struggling apostle (most of us fall into this category) knows he is no saint. He has a realistic attitude about his gaps in holiness and he is striving to do better. He understands that to protect God's interests, he has to exert himself and even then God's interests are at risk from his humanity.  The average struggling apostle will have the ability to laugh at himself when he is ridiculous and he will have a good working knowledge of his weaknesses and temptations."


Do you have the ability to laugh at yourself? Do you know your weaknesses and temptations?  If not, practice and discover.  For when you acquire these skills and knowledge, following Christ is a cake walk.  Practice living the Beatitudes.  It's really not that hard if you think about it.  Compliment someone. Instead of becoming embarrassed and defensive when you misstep, admit your mistake. Live small in humility. Clean your heart and your mind by purging impure thoughts and images. What can you do to strive toward perfection in God's eyes?


Thank you, Lord, for accepting me when I fail and blessings when I strive toward perfection in Your eyes. Keep me vigilant for the bite-sized opportunities to show Your Love to those placed in my path.   


God bless,
Bonnie