Discouragement

My sins can weigh me down with discouragement.

St. Ignatius of Loyola tells us that discouragement is never from God because it clouds faith and hope.

God's love does not deal in punishment as human vengeance does.

God' love disciplines me in order to free and purify me -- sometimes a painful process -- so that I may not die but live.

You are the host and I am the guest at your table -- feed the hungry of spirit with the bread of your loving forgiveness.

Have mercy on me when I fail to live the new life you have given me; raise me up when my sinfulness sinks us into discouragement; grant me courage to renew my desire to live according to your will. Amen.

Adjustin My Attiude

If I reach out lovingly to someone else today, I will not need a nudge from my Higher Power to adjust my attitude.

I always have two lists:
things I'm happy about and
things I'm not.
It's my choice which list I focus on.

--Anne Arthur

Unfortunately, a bad attitude is seductive.
Discouragement and self-pity become comfortable, and I fear that discarding them will leave me vulnerable.
It's as though I find pleasure, perverse though it may be, in feeling sorry for myself.
Sometimes I even imagine staying in that place forever.
It's then that I need the warmth of loving friends, and it's no accident that I am surrounded by them in the fellowship.
I may, at first, try to ignore those reaching toward me, but I will soon feel their presence.
I can thank God for the inspiration to adjust my attitude.