Step 1: Stop aiming to change your actions.
Instead of simply trying to change your actions, aim to change your heart. If you open your heart to God’s grace, your heart will be changed, and your actions will follow suit.
Step 2: There is no step 2. Step 1 is all you need to do… over and over and over again.
When we aim to modify our hearts, we can shift our focus from saying “NO” to “stuff” to saying “YES” to God.
But I was forgetting one major thing and that was this: We become who we practice to be; we become a further entrenched version of who we are today. It’s that simple.
It wasn’t until I experienced the joy of Christ (through people like you), that I began to open my heart to saying YES to God’s Will. It helped me see the world through the lens of YES to self-control, and as I write this, with grease from last night’s warmed-up leftover pizza still glistening on my fingers (when I last caved), I am reminded that this YES to self-control applies to all areas of our lives, not just sexuality.
See, if I can’t say YES to self-control while driving by a pizza place at 3:37am, then how on earth might I say YES to self-control to something (or someone) much more enticing? That thought has ruminated in my head for the last five years or so. It reminds me that I really wanted to experience the joy of self-control, instead of the hopelessness that followed from being controlled by my desires.
These are my “little victories,” and by the grace of God, they have helped me become who I am today.
As for resolutions? Just one.
Hudson Byblow is a teacher and Catholic speaker who lives in Saskatchewan. His passion is helping others find their way to a deeper relationship with Christ. He likes old cars, traveling, and long walks on the beach (and anything else to do with sunshine). He can be reached at hudsonab80@hotmail.com.
The problem is: for how many time??
This is a superb article. The principle of turning to God instead of our temptations is something that is stressed in the Light Weigh, a Catholic weight loss program founded by Suzanne Fowler. If you, the viewing public, struggle with self control in this, or other areas of your life, you might consider her program: http://www.lightweigh.com/ She says: By following Light Weigh, you will learn to attain peace with food by imitating the example of Jesus and the spirituality of two of His devoted followers; St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Therese, The Little Flower. The principles in her program can apply to all areas of life that require consistent self-control and self-reflection. Good luck with your own resolutions!
Perfect. It’s true. Thank you.
Forever. You must always say yes to God, in every aspect of your life.
Thanks for this article! It is something that i came to realize some time ago by the Grace of God and yet so easy to forget after few weeks… God bless you.
You are so right son, we need to always say yes to Him if we want His blessings in our lives! Hey, what do you mean when you say yuou cracked the mainstream of life?