“My child, do not trust in your present feeling, for it will soon give way to another. As long as you live, you will be subject to changeableness in spite of yourself,” says Thomas a Kempis. Ever wonder why you can go from happy to sad to joyous to envious to angry–sometimes all within an hour or two? Wise people have pointed out to us for millennia that this is the human condition.
Sometimes we think that we are free from constraint to do what we wish, when in fact we are at the mercy of our passion. Benjamin Franklin, one of the American Founders, once said, “If passions are the driver, let reason hold the reins.” That was wise, but still a little lacking. Sometimes our reason exists to justify the desires of the passions. We know that from buying decisions. Suddenly we desire something–a new car, expensive dress, whatever. The desire was probably driven by advertising or from someone we know who got one. Then our brain begins to start figuring out the rational reasons why that purchase would be good.
Thomas a Kempis concludes the chapter saying, “The eye of your intention, therefore, must be cleansed so that it is single and right. It must be directed toward [Jesus], despite all the objects which may interfere.”
Ponder that. How can you keep your focus on Jesus, and through him, God?
Tags: Christianity, focus, Prayer, Spirituality
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