Actions speak louder than words. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Pretty basic concepts, right? Well, at least you'd think so. Last Friday a clinical study I had been working on ended enrollment. It was an acne study for healthy subjects ages 12-40. Throughout the four week enrollment period, the number of no-shows astounded me. If a potential subject was 15 minutes late, one of the office staff would place a courtesy call to confirm their arrival. Most of the time the reminder calls went to voicemail with no return call from the subject to reschedule. Other times they were yelled at, disrespected, hung up on or flat out lied to. One woman, on the last day of enrollment, going on 4pm, said she was on her way with her three teens. We waited around until 5:30pm (after calling her cell several times) and she never showed. Not even a phone call to let us know she wasn't going to make it. What happened to being polite? Have we become a culture needing Miss Manners to educate all in the basics of human kindness?
The problem is, if we don't demonstrate in our actions and words the love of Christ to our children, how can they move on to be good, kind and loving Christian people and parents themselves? It's never too late to change behavior. It's never too late for internal discipline.
Todays Gospel (Matthew 23:23-26) is all about cleaning up the inside to shine His light on the outside:
Jesus said: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean."
And in Anne a lay apostle's book Serving in Clarity, she shows us when we disregard how we treat others, let alone ourselves, we bruise our dear Jesus:
The problem is, if we don't demonstrate in our actions and words the love of Christ to our children, how can they move on to be good, kind and loving Christian people and parents themselves? It's never too late to change behavior. It's never too late for internal discipline.
Todays Gospel (Matthew 23:23-26) is all about cleaning up the inside to shine His light on the outside:
Jesus said: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean."
And in Anne a lay apostle's book Serving in Clarity, she shows us when we disregard how we treat others, let alone ourselves, we bruise our dear Jesus:
“Jesus pulls us in, close against Himself, even though in doing
so the Lord risks injury. And it is true that we often wound Jesus. We wound
Him intentionally, through sin, and unintentionally, through neglect and mistrust.”
Lay apostles, it takes time and discipline to make behavioral changes within ourselves. Instead of looking pious on the outside yet unholy on the inside, make a commitment to yourself to eliminate anything detrimental to your soul. There isn't one bad behavior you cannot overcome with Jesus by your side, in your heart, and on your mind. Maybe you're thinking it's too late to change a behavior others have become accustomed to. The change would upset everything. Well, guess what? If you are making the the decision for Jesus, others will adapt. They may even agree it's the right decision! Making one small change today will bring you one step closer to a large change tomorrow.
Thank you, Lord, for giving me the courage and internal discipline I needed to make an important decision for You. And, for the graces You gave me in return!
God bless,
Bonnie
No comments:
Post a Comment