The most difficult things we do are those we tell no one about. That always seems to be the case. Doing the right thing, and making the moral choice is easier, when we get credit for it. Isn't that the truth of it ? We don't mind making the inconvenient choices ,quite as much, when we get praised for those choices. Doing the right thing solely for the sake of right is just not as rewarding. Not one of us wants to admit to that, but it is the truth. We want our rewards now. It is the basic nature of man to want those rewards immediately. It is the struggle between receiving those rewards and doing what we know to be right, that causes the difficulties in life. The feeling of being unappreciated or put upon is not a comfortable one. It is our religious beliefs that promise us the big reward. The catch is we have to wait for it. Good things come to those who wait. Isn't that an axiom you have heard all your life ? I know I have along, with patience is a virtue. The first I am undecided about and find debatable. The second I agree with totaly. Patience is indeed a virtue as it brings calm to your life. The opposite of calm is frantic and I hate that feeling.
We are told that we should not tell about the good deeds we do. To do so is bragging or seeking rewards. When we do tell, and we do not get the " reward " we expected, it leads to anger or disappointment. We can feel hurt. When that happens we can become cynical or jaded. Those feelings will inhibit our growth. We become bitter and spiteful. We begin to get reactions in a negative way. Over time the negative becomes normal. We seek the drama. We will be heard even if we have to shout ! There is no calm.
It is my thinking that it is this struggle that we are facing everyday. In years past we were taught to be patient. We were told all things in time. Today we hear more about being proactive than reactive. We are told if you want something, go for it. Grab the brass ring ! Ours is a more aggressive attitude. And we are being taught that our rewards should be received right now ! Sadly, many are being taught that the only rewards are those on this earth. With the removal of the " big reward " we are settling for the trinkets. Much like the trinkets you receive at a carnival game, of questionable value. They are only given as incentive and not reward. That is true in life as well. As you settling for incentives ? More money, more fame, more popularity, more material things ? Or are you the one waiting on a reward ? It is a lonely and sometimes frustrating wait. Oh, the rewards do come in unexpected ways. They may come as a fulfillment of someone else's need, but they come. Do not seek the incentives, they have nothing to do with reward. Reward can not be held in your hands but must be felt in your heart. It is that feeling, the " peace of God that passes all understanding " that is the reward, do not settle for trinkets.
We are told that we should not tell about the good deeds we do. To do so is bragging or seeking rewards. When we do tell, and we do not get the " reward " we expected, it leads to anger or disappointment. We can feel hurt. When that happens we can become cynical or jaded. Those feelings will inhibit our growth. We become bitter and spiteful. We begin to get reactions in a negative way. Over time the negative becomes normal. We seek the drama. We will be heard even if we have to shout ! There is no calm.
It is my thinking that it is this struggle that we are facing everyday. In years past we were taught to be patient. We were told all things in time. Today we hear more about being proactive than reactive. We are told if you want something, go for it. Grab the brass ring ! Ours is a more aggressive attitude. And we are being taught that our rewards should be received right now ! Sadly, many are being taught that the only rewards are those on this earth. With the removal of the " big reward " we are settling for the trinkets. Much like the trinkets you receive at a carnival game, of questionable value. They are only given as incentive and not reward. That is true in life as well. As you settling for incentives ? More money, more fame, more popularity, more material things ? Or are you the one waiting on a reward ? It is a lonely and sometimes frustrating wait. Oh, the rewards do come in unexpected ways. They may come as a fulfillment of someone else's need, but they come. Do not seek the incentives, they have nothing to do with reward. Reward can not be held in your hands but must be felt in your heart. It is that feeling, the " peace of God that passes all understanding " that is the reward, do not settle for trinkets.
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