Last week was a very chaotic week and yet, at the same time, a down week. It was a down week in that I was literally down, in bed with a bug. The days not spent in bed were spent trying to catch up. You all know how it is. Needless to say, we missed a week of Maxim Monday. So here we are…week 28 of our Maxims for Christian Living.
Fr. Thomas Hopko
Face reality. Don’t live in fantasy. There’s a Russian saying: “God is everywhere except in imagination and fantasy.” Face the realities of your life.
I’m not sure what Fr. Thomas Hopko meant by this exactly but when I read this I think about learning to face those things in my life that I need to work on. Those things I know I need to change and if I did I’d be a whole lot better off.
One example I think many people don’t really want to face is their health. Often times not faced until it’s too late.
Yet another example…finances. We don’t want to face the reality that we really ought not to be trying to keep up with the Joneses but rather working on contentment, saying no and living within our means.
It is no fun to face reality. It often times means we have to endure a somewhat painful change of our own set-in-stone habits.
I know there are several things in my own life where I really need to face reality. I’d love to create a new reality in some spots of my life. I believe this means new habits must be forged. And changing habits that have been around for decades takes a lot of hard work, and again, pain. One of my favorite books about habits is “Better Than Before” by Gretchen Rubin. I’ve talked a lot about Gretchen. She is one of my favorite authors. She has done a ton of research on happiness.
Gretchen Rubin
It was my interest in happiness that led me to the subject of habits, and of course, the study of habits is really the study of happiness. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life, and a significant element of happiness.
Face Reality. Change a habit. Grow. Stretch. Create a new reality! That’s my goal.
Help me face reality, Dear Lord. To grow and stretch. To become a better, happier, joy-filled person, that I may share this joy with others!
To download the .pdf of Maxim 28 Click here.
Kindler of Joy! 