To Chew On...

this is what i need to chew on today? how about you?

"our peace must not depend on human beings:
Christ: my child, if to satisfy yourself and to seek the society of any person you place all your contentment in that person, you will become entangled and lose your peace. on the other hand, if you have recourse only to Me, the living and everlasting Truth, you will not be overwhelmed if friends forsake you or you lose them by death.
whoever they may be, your friends must be loved for My sake, no matter how good they appear to you, or how dear they are to you in this life. no friendship can be profitable or lasting in this life, nor is it a true and pure love which does not have its source in Me.
your affection toward those you love should be so mortified that you would be willing to be without friends at all. to that degree by which you withdraw from all earthly consolation, such will be your approach to God, and so much higher do you ascend to God, as you lower yourself and become despicable in your own estimation.
.....the more you look toward creatures, the dimmer becomes the sight of the Creator.

-taken from The Image of Christ, book 3 chapter 42"

oh, how easy it is to let our day be ruled by "i can't believe that she said this to me" and "why would they ever do that?" it's ridiculous. of course the answer is, because whoever she or he or they is...they sin too. "they" aren't infallible, "she" doesn't have all the answers and "he" has bad days just like the rest of us. we let our day be ruled by something that is said by another person just as fallen and with just as may problems as we have. and we get so bent out of shape by it. it can color our every move, word and thought. we let it take over us and use it as an excuse for us to harm others with our words and behaviors. Christ never told us it was ok to be rude because we were bothered by somebody else, but we use it as license. it's rather difficult not to. we all know that. it takes a mind centered on heaven at all times to look beyond what is physical, what we can see, hear and touch, what really seems to be in the now. it's how we are made. we want to feel it, hear it and touch it and judge everything by just that. and we want to immediately react. but we can't. we have to keep focused on what we can't always see, hear or touch. the very thing that seems so intangible must be made tangible within our hearts. i'll pray for you this lent...please pray for me too.