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Contents
1. Wisdom Story
2. Comments
3. Suggested Reflection
Wisdom Story
Said a disappointed visitor, "Why has my stay here yielded no fruit?"
"Could it be because you lacked the courage to shake the tree?" said the Master benignly.
© Anthony de Mello, SJ
Scripture~II Timothy 1.7
God has not given us a spirit of fear.
But he has given us a spirit of power
and love and self-control. (WE)
God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. (The Message)
Comments
Rather than a fearful disposition, our spiritual Parent gives us three divine qualities. These aspects are one, and Paul mentions them as one spirit.
The qualities of the one spiritual disposition are three. They are "power," "love," and "self-control."
Love, Greek agapao, is put between power and self-control. Power is to be loving power. Self-control is to be loving self-control. Power, when not spiritualized by love, is aggressive, mean, domineering, and harmful. Self-control, when not loving, is rigidity, stubbornness, extreme self-denial, prideful asceticism, and self-righteousness.
Love, in other words, is to be the heart of power and self-control in the Christian life. And, likewise, this helps us avoid a sentimental "love." Divine love is powerful; this love allows a self-control whereby we are rightfully assertive in relationships.
With agapao, or Divine Love, we are not always trying to keep from hurting feelings, or getting others to continue thinking well of us. We are more interested in their well-being than their comfort or their liking us.
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Agapao is not always what some might call nice. Look at how many persons Jesus offended by his truthfulness and forthrightness. His love was not passive and compromising. Jesus did not practice a priority on winning friends, and he would not resort to less than honest means to influence them.
Now, let us return to the opening story. The story of shaking the tree points to personal involvement in the history of the cosmos, our world, and our lives. We have the lives we choose, as much as God choosing for us.
We miss much fruit of divine blessings in giving and receiving, if we are too fearful to get in the tree and shake it. God gives us the tree, but He does not shake it for us. So, we often live with much less of what God wants for us to enjoy, simply due to timidity in joining with our Beloved in creating those gifts He wants us to receive. We do not have to live in such a way.
We can choose another disposition, one of power, love, and self-control. This leads to a complete change in the quality of our lives. We are not to live passive lives, in some misunderstanding of Divine Providence and faith~such is not bold faith, it is timid faithlessness. Providence operates best on our behalf when we pray and, then, are willing to act.
Suggested Reflection
1. Do you see yourself growing out of fearfulness into a more boldly assertive way of living, co-creating with God your life? Explain your answer.
2. Do you feel you are truly open to step out in faith and receive the best God offers you? Explain.
3. Is there any area of your life where fear is holding you back? Pray about that and open to receive loving courage.
4. What does it mean for you to be powerful but not forceful? Loving but not always nice? Self-controlled but free to enjoy and relish the good things of life?
See next page for Purpose of OneLife, reference to the writer's book, and matters pertaining to source material in this devotional.
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