Monday, July 13
For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder
and wickedness of every kind.
—James 3:16
Yet, finding people who are deceitful
and desirous of personal gain is abundantly easy. Even an
innocent child can display deceitful qualities. One wonders if
deceit is not a trait that's learned, but rather something that comes to us
naturally. Perhaps, that is why we want to bow our spirit before
those who are pure-hearted.
When we think of the many examples of
envy and selfishness around us as well as in us, we can become disillusioned
about the state of the world and the potential for the human
race. Yet, there is also within each of us a seed of purity, a
seed of peace, a seed of goodness. The spiritual task is discovering and
nurturing that seed.
One way to do this is to keep our eyes and hearts open to those who have developed goodness in their lives. Watching them inspires us to become like them.
The second way is to spend time in silence. When we are in that silent place with God, we have the possibility of seeing ourselves without our familiar disguises. We are able to see our own envy and selfishness for what it is. We are able to see ourselves as God sees us. There in that space the chaos is stilled long enough for the seed to begin to grow.
Gracious God, change my selfishness to compassion, my envy to generosity.
