(via Mashable)
In this world of darkness and uncertainty, we are constantly faced with fears and worries. And why not? Life can be so hard sometimes. It takes effort just to get out of bed, knowing that before us is another long day of battle, just like the day before, and the day before that.
Because of Original Sin, our lives will never be easy. We must be constantly vigilant against the shadowy forces of evil, who will do whatever they can to derail us. For we are both filled with the goodness of our Father’s love and the evil of human arrogance. And because we can be turned, a battle is fought over us and inside of us every minute of every day.And there’s nothing more exhausting than looking over your shoulder constantly.
In fact, there is also no worse habit. When you spend your entire life focused on the battlefield, it is easy to become paranoid. After being burned by cruelty and evil, it is difficult to see the good in the world. We become Mary Magdalene at the tomb. They have taken our Lord, and we know not where — and in our despair, we wouldn’t recognize him if he was standing right in front of us. (Which he usually is, because he loves us and is loathe to part from us. He is there always, unless we push him away.)
If we cannot even recognize the Light of Christ before us, how are we supposed to see the good that he is working in our lives? How do we know it’s not another demonic trick, to make us vulnerable so we can be hurt, and hurt so we can be corrupted?
The truth is, when we are blind to the gifts God has given us, we also become blind to God. It is an act of faithlessness to refuse to take risks. Yes, there is always a chance that things will go poorly, but our lives will never be richer if we play it safe all the time. God expects us to work with Him, not to wait around for Him to tie our lives up with pretty ribbons. Life is hard, life is gritty, and life is frustrating at times. But if we stand courageous seeing with eyes unclouded by fear, life can also be the most incredible gift in itself.
This being said, there is a difference between fear and due caution. The forces of evil are active in our world, and they will pull no punches to get us off-mission. It is important to analyze your choices before you make them, to discern what is good and what is evil. Even in the grayest of decisions, there is always a better choice. And that choice is always the one that brings you closer to the goal set before you by God, the choice that leads you onward down the Destined Path to the Ideal Self: to sainthood.
Once you have opened your heart to the good and have learned to find it even in occlusion, then you must learn to take the plunge, to invest, and to risk all for that goodness. Sometimes even the greatest of gifts will fail if we do not give them our all. And sometimes, when we give them our all and we still fail, it becomes clear that they were never the gifts we thought they were, but distractions. It can be the case that we only know after the fact. But even in failures we find goodness, for they bring us closer to God as well, if we accept them and move on.
This Lent, find those things in your life that you are willing to risk everything for, and take the time to discern whether or not they are worth it. If they are of God, if they have the potential for goodness, then do not fear. Accept the gift, and learn to be happy even in uncertainty, for the forces of heaven are by you always. God made us for happiness. It is our sinfulness that brings us sorrow.
Keep running the race, though the road may take you through deep places.
-E.G. Norton
The Trenchcoat Introspective 