Conquer Frustration and Find Perfection By Doing Your Humble Duties
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Every duty, even the least duty, involves
the whole principle of obedience.
And little duties make the will dutiful,
that is, supple and prompt to obey.
Little obediences lead into great. The daily round of duty
is full of probation and of discipline; it trains the will,
heart, and conscience.
We need not to be prophets
or apostles.
The commonest life may be full of perfection.
The duties of home are a discipline
for the ministries of heaven.
H. E. MANNING.
Every morning compose your soul for a tranquil day,
and all through it be careful often to recall your resolution,
and bring yourself back to it, so to say. If something
discomposes you, do not be upset, or troubled; but
having discovered the fact, humble yourself gently
before God, and try to bring your mind into a quiet attitude.
Say to yourself, "Well, I have made a false step;
now I must go more carefully and watchfully."
Do this each time, however frequently you fall.
When you are at peace use it profitably, making
constant acts of meekness, and seeking to be calm
even in the most trifling things. Above all, do not be
discouraged; be patient; wait;
strive to attain a calm, gentle spirit.
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.
Am I acting in simplicity, from a germ of the Divine life within,
or am I shaping my path to obtain
some immediate result of expediency?
Am I endeavoring to compass effects, amidst a tangled web
of foreign influences I cannot calculate;
or am I seeking simply to do what is right,
and leavingthe consequences to the good providence of God?
M. A. SCHIMMELPENNINCK.
The soul ceases to weary itself with planning and foreseeing,
giving itself up to God's Holy Spirit within, and to the teachings
of His providence without. He is not forever fretting as to
his progress, or looking back to see how far he is getting on;
rather he goes steadily and quietly on, and makes
all the more progress because it is unconscious.
So he never gets troubled and discouraged;
if he falls he humbles himself, but gets up at once,
and goes on with renewed earnestness.
JEAN NICOLAS GROU.
Possess yourself as much as you possibly can in peace;
not by any effort, but by letting all things fall to the ground
which trouble or excite you.This is no work, but is, as it were,
a setting down a fluid to settle that has become
turbid through agitation.
MADAME GUYON.