Today's passage is talking about food and eating. Basically, Benedict is advocating avoiding overindulgence or obsession about food within the monastery and in life.
Although I am definitely a person who loves food. I get pleasure from eating. I enjoying playing with food (one of the reasons I like baking yeast bread from scratch); I like planning meals. I am definitely about food, I do try not to obsess about it too much.
But if my heart is not weighed down with thoughts of food, what are the things that can distract me from single-hearted focus on God? Afterall, one of the hallmarks of monastic life is seeking God in all things.
- I can be destracted by my own plans and vision of life. I can be an extreme planner and totally miss the message that God is imparting today by focussing only on MY plans.
- I can easily be sidetracked by fear. I am not a fan of pain so will often take what looks like the more agreeable plan in order to avoid discomfort.
- I am a dreamer so I can easily get stuck in how things should be and miss the beauty of God's plan.
- I can sometimes be attracted to the glamour of being in control. Control can often seduce me into focusing on myself and my image rather than on reality and God's plans.
This are all things that can weigh my heart down and distract me from my true goal of seeking God in all things and listening to God's word.
What am I doing today to avoid being weighed down by illusions?
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