I have a poor grasp of cause and effect. Intellectually I know that lots of fatty food will increase my weight. But deep in my bones I feel that huge meals on special occasions or indecent amounts of chocolate when I’m in a grey mood will somehow contribute nothing towards my size or health.
Similarly I know at an intellectual level that all this paperwork facing me (and that includes the list of jobs I have promised people to do and/or people expect me to do) has to be tackled immediately if not sooner. If it isn’t then I will have to spend the later part of the week making excuses - “Sorry this is not as well prepared as it should be, but I’ve really not had time...” But my gut instinct is to chill out and hope it will go away of its own accord.
Most importantly of all, my mind is clear on the incontrovertible fact that if I fail to make time to pray or to study the Bible or to turn my thoughts to God, then my spiritual life will suffer. But my general attitude to life remains “God loves me, so I reckon I’ll be able to muddle through somehow.”
Setting down this contrast between thoughts and feelings has helped me take to heart the need for self-discipline. It’s not good enough to do what I want and hope the consequences turn out for the best. The desire for bodily, mental or spiritual health ought to be strong enough to motivate my everyday behaviour.
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