Monday, July 26, 2010

Living With God pt 2

The last 30 maxims are as follows:

  1. Do your work, then forget it

  2. Do the most difficult and painful things first

  3. Face reality

  4. Be grateful

  5. Be cheerful

  6. Be simple, hidden, quiet and small

  7. Never bring attention to yourself

  8. Listen when people talk to you

  9. Be awake and attentive, fully present where you are

  10. Think and talk about things no more than necessary

  11. Speak simply, clearly, firmly, directly

  12. Flee imagination, fantasy, analysis, figuring things out

  13. Flee carnal, sexual things at their first appearance

  14. Don’t complain, grumble, murmur or whine

  15. Don’t seek or expect pity or praise

  16. Don’t compare yourself with anyone

  17. Don’t judge anyone for anything

  18. Don’t try to convince anyone of anything

  19. Don’t defend or justify yourself

  20. Be defined and bound by God, not people

  21. Accept criticism gracefully and test it carefully

  22. Give advice only when asked or when it is your duty

  23. Do nothing for people that they can and should do for themselves

  24. Have a daily schedule of activities, avoiding whim and caprice

  25. Be merciful with yourself and others

  26. Have no expectations except to be fiercely tempted to your last breath

  27. Focus exclusively on God and light, and never on darkness, temptation and sin

  28. Endure the trial of yourself and your faults serenely, under God’s mercy

  29. When you fall, get up immediately and start over

  30. Get help when you need it, without fear or shame
  • Maxim 26-30 address the pride of our attitudes about reality, they help us to deal with whole of creation as it really is; life is usually not easy and takes work, but we are warned not to allow our work to shape our whole life; we are encouraged to take on the tough things first because the easy will take care of themselves; we are then helped to see these things as good gifts from God.
  • Maxims 31-39 teach us to face our pride and to put ourselves in our place: not to aggrandize ourselves inappropriately, & to give others equal time, we are instructed to live in reality & not in the fantasies that clutter our moment by moment thoughts.
  • Maxims 40-55 point us to the Christ-like life of self-emptying; a life of trial and testing focused on the good of others at our expense.

Each of these maxims is worthy of deep study, & the reason is because they sum up within each one of them a large amount of Christian truth & piety. How wise it would be to take this way of lie, make it our own, & then pass it on to those who come after us. This is the wisdom of the church placed into daily life!

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