Daily Thought For March 18, 2019

More Great Advice From The "SaintMaker"

     We should invoke God often during the day and say, like St. Paul when he was converted: "Lord, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to serve you in the lowliest tasks of your house? I would consider it a privilege! Provided that I serve you, I don't care what I do." And when we come upon something specific that we find difficult to do, we should say: "Do you want me to do such and such a thing? Lord, I am not worthy to do even that, but I will do it very gladly." Thus we will practice humility. O my God, what treasure we will acquire — greater, without doubt, than we can possibly imagine. 
     Rivers that flow gently through the plains carry along large boats and rich merchandise, and rains that fall gently on open fields make them fruitful in grass and grain. But just as torrents and rivers that flood over the land ruin the neighboring countryside and are useless for commerce, so in like manner heavy, tempestuous rains ruin the fields and prairies. A job done too eagerly and hurriedly is never done well. We must make haste slowly according to the proverb: "Whoever is hasty runs the risk of stumbling and hurting a foot." We perform actions quickly enough when we do them well. 
     Drones make more noise and work more hurriedly than bees, but they make only wax, not honey. So also, persons who hurry about with anxious concern and bustle never accomplish much nor do they do anything well. Flies do not bother us by what they are doing, but by their numbers; likewise matters of importance do not give us as much trouble as do many trifles.  
Accept peacefully whatever you have to do and try to get things done in order, one after the other. If you attempt to do everything all at once or without order, your mind will be frustrated and grow weary and you are likely to be overwhelmed by the pressure and accomplish nothing. 
     Soon we shall be in eternity and then we shall see how insignificant our worldly preoccupations were and how little it mattered whether some things got done or not; however, right now we rush about as if they were all-important. When we were little children, how eagerly we used to gather pieces of broken tile, little sticks, and mud with which to build houses and other tiny buildings; and if someone knocked them over, how heartbroken we were and how we cried! But now we understand that these things really didn't amount to much. One day it will be like this for us in heaven when we shall see that some of the things we clung to here on earth were only childish attachments. 
     I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't care about these little games and trifling details of life, for God wants us to practice on them in this world; but I would like to see us not so strained and frantic in our concern about them. Let's play our childish games since we are children; but at the same time, let's not take them too seriously. And if someone wrecks our little houses or projects, let's not get too upset, because when night falls and we have to go indoors—I'm speaking of our death—all those little houses will be useless; we shall have to go into our Father's house. 

St. Francis de Sales Golden Counsels pp.29-30