Waving the Red Flag

     “Occasions do not make man weak, but they do show what he is. When we commit a fault, we must not attribute it to a physical cause, such as illness or the weather, but we must attribute it to our own lack of perfection.”                                                                                                                                                                                                               St. Therese of Lisieux

     The blame game started long ago in the Garden of Eden. Adam blamed it on Eve and Eve pointed to the serpent – maybe he blamed it on the weather! We have a difficult time recognizing, let alone, owning our faults and imperfections. There is no difficulty for us in seeing the faults of others. We could write a long list without much trouble. It is our own imperfections that we run and hide from, denying or pretending they don’t exist!

      Little Therese, a doctor of the Church, tells us we must not excuse ourselves. We must not turn our eyes away when God is trying to show us who we truly are. God is so good that He can even use our faults, to help us to grow in holiness, but we must stop blaming others and outside forces and look within ourselves. We need to begin to take responsibility of our actions and with God’s grace, move in humility to rectify our shortcomings.    

      How much better our lives would be, if we began to do this self examination when we fall short in our actions. Instead, we spend time excusing ourselves by looking at outside circumstances which made us do what we did.  We are quick to go to the old if only excuses to justify our actions. If only I had a different job, more reliable car, different talents, vacation opportunities. If only my kids weren't so needy, were older, were little again, didn't have so many activities. If only I lived in a nicer house, bigger house, smaller house, different city, different country! If only l had more money, more time, less stress, less demands, more friends, better friends, better health, good looks, better shape and whatever else we judge is just not right in our lives.

     There are times when we can and should change circumstances in our lives, to help us to handle people and situations in a better way. But there are things we cannot change and must learn to accept, and with time and God’s grace, we can grow in grace, virtue and holiness in those very circumstances.  Our holiness does not depend upon our circumstances, but upon our cooperation with God, by using the grace that He so generously pours upon us! We must spend time with God and beseech Him to reveal our imperfections, so we can change and become the men and women He has called us to be from all eternity. This will not be easy, because we are so set in our thoughts and our ways. “Jesus said, ‘for human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God” (Mk. 10 vs. 27).

      Depending on our fault, it could mean making an apology to someone we may have snapped at verbally. We can say things that are mean and hurtful, when it’s really ourselves and our impatience getting the better of us. “If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also (Jas. 3 vs. 2b). “The tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how a small fire can set a huge forest ablaze. The tongue is also a fire” (Jas. 3 vs. 5-6b). We must learn to bridle our tongue and use it to put out fires instead of starting them.

     Maybe our tendency is towards selfishness and self-centeredness. We want things our way or the highway.  We’re so used to people submitting to our demands, that when they don’t, either all hell breaks loose or we pout and give the old silent treatment. If we find ourselves with this trait, we must pray for and practice humility. We are not the be all and end all. What we want is control and power. We are not God, but a child of God and must treat others as such. “And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for: ‘God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.’ So humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1Pt. 5 vs. 5b.-6b).

     These are but two examples of ways that we may fall short in reflecting Christ to others. The faults and imperfections that each of us may struggle with are too numerable to list. Pray and ask Sasha, the Holy Spirit to point out your faults. The bad habits we posses are so much a part of us that we fail to recognize them. Ask Him to wave a red flag when it exhibits itself in your behavior. Run after it like a bull until you've gotten hold of it and conquered it.

     Praise God each time He brings an imperfection to your attention, thanking Him that He is assisting you on the road to perfection. He will give you the courage, along with the grace to confront it and change. Hopefully in time, you will be transformed into the image of Jesus and bring glory to your heavenly Father!