How much happier you would be, how much more of you there would be, if the hammer of a higher God could smash your small cosmos – chesterton
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St Thomas Aquinas’ Prayer
One’s prayer life is often a great indicator of how their walk is. Shallow relationship with God is often a product of a lack of prayer. Intimacy with God is often a product of prayer. The quality of prayers (for a lack of a better terms) is indicative of where we are in our walk with God. If there is ever such a thing as a “profound prayers”, I’ve come across some from St. Thomas Aquinas. Such prayers could only be products of an intimate relationship with God.
Below is one of Thomas Aquinas’ prayers that I echo. Hope it impacts you, at least, as much as it impacted me.
O Lord my God, help me to be
obedient without reserve,
poor without servility,
chaste without compromise,
humble without pretense,
joyful without depravity,
serious without affectation,
active without frivolty,
submissive without bitterness,
truthful without duplicity,
fruitful in good works without presumption,
quick to revive my neighbor without haughtiness,
and quick to edify others by word and example without simulation.Grant me, O Lord, an ever-watchful heart that no alien thought can lure away from You;
a noble heart that no base love can sully;
an upright heart that no perverse intention can lead astray;
an invincible heart that no distress can overcome;
an unfettered heart that no impetuous desires can enchain.O Lord my God, also bestow upon me understanding to know You,
zeal to seek You,
wisdom to find You,
a life that is pleasing to You,
unshakable perseverance,
and a hope that will one day take hold of You.May I do penance here below and patiently bear your chastisements.
May I also receive the benefits of your grace,
in order to taste your heavenly joys and contemplate your glory.
Amen.
Which Battle?
I’ve discovered that many people participate in competitions for different reasons. Not everyone is competing for the same prize. Some were willing to settle with making it to certain stages of the tournament. I think it is sad that while all could aspire to win the main prize, some were only glad to settle for what I think was the lesser. However diverse, every team that that competes has some [ultimate] goal in mind. Every effort in preparation and in actual games was centered on an ultimate goal of sort. The prize is why teams [should] compete.
Goals give purpose to effort. Imagine an athlete setting out on a race with no end or finish line! It would be wasted effort, energy and time. Without clear objectives it is easy to waste and even abuse resources. Goals can help us measure or place value on our efforts as we review our advance toward them against time. Clear goals also help us in determining what resources are required and or how to apportion them.
Clear goals will dictate to us what our focus should be. There are many ‘battles’ that will seek our attention and one of the keys to our effectiveness is in choosing our ‘battles’ wisely.
Don’t fight a battle if you don’t gain anything by winning – Erwin Rommel
It would be of great benefit for us to consider the ‘battles’ we’re engaged in at the moment and the potential results of our engagements and whether they are worthwhile. I think now would be a good time us to give thought to what we are going to give of ourselves and resources AND why.
I don’t run without a goal. And I don’t box by beating my fists in the air – Apostle Paul
Are your pursuits clear? Are they worthwhile?
How People Stop Caring About What Matters
For everything you care about you have an expression. You express how you care about your spouse by providing and being there for them. You express your love by serving your family. You express the value you place on a cause by the sacrifices you make for it. The value of what we place on something is in the time, energy & resources we devote to it. Sometimes we lose the sense of the value of some things not because they have lost value but that the way we look at them has changed. It is not difficult to stop caring about things that matter… How you stop caring about things that matter:
Sometimes we lose the sense of the value of some things not because they have lost value but that the way we look at them has changed
- People stop caring about things that matter when they do not guard their value or worth. This can apply to certain aspects of your organization or relationships with people. What you are not intentional to protect can be easily destroyed.
- We stop caring about what’s important when we start seeing the expression of the importance of something as a chore & not a privilege. It is a privilege to love & serve your spouse & family. It is a privilege to be part of something greater than yourself. It is a privilege you have the resources to make a difference in other people’s lives. You not only need to guard (defend) the value of something but need to constantly seek ways of constantly and creatively expressing the worth of something. It can be a relationship… or the values of your organization…
- You stop caring about the important when you take it for granted. You take your work for granted when you start thinking it is your right for your employer or boss to give you the position & the reward it comes with it and not a privilege. Leaders, consider it a privilege that people choose to follow you and the cause you serve.
- In the context of relationships and teams, you can stop caring about some people or some things by only seeing value in monetary terms. There are some things that are way more valuable than the money we spend on them. It could be a family trip or a team building get away. You will realize the real value of many things when you stop looking at them only through the lens of your bank balance! There are many times you need to look at money as a mere means of adding value of a different kind. A less paying job affording you to invest good time with your children matters more than a high paying one that will not afford you the same. It is important for organizations to stay out of the red but if the only value your organization guards is the bank balance, your organization does not have long to live.
- People stop caring about things that matter when they become selfish. This is how many collaboration and even marriages fall apart: when one party cares for and lives only for themselves. People stop caring about things or people that matter when they make themselves more important than another. When they care more for their own feelings than those of others… when only their agenda exits and no one else’s.
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illustration by Valerie Everett, flickr (cc)
What are some of the other things that make people or made you stop caring about something?
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