We've all heard of the seven deadly sins, but did you realize that everything sinful has an equally opposite virtue? In this life it is my belief that everything tied to sin is a creation of this fleshly world, but but working to live a more disciplined virtuous life will send you to a much greater place.
When we are born to this physical world we are innocent and naïve. We don't need to teach kids to act up or misbehave- it comes natural. Manners, being polite and having good behavior needs to be taught and encouraged repeatedly [and sometimes repeatedly and repeatedly]. It is the same with the seven deadly sins versus heavenly virtues. Sin is easy as it is the work of the devil, but virtuous behavior is tied to a divine place.
The following are not one-size fits all solutions, or mindsets that change over night, but putting effort and thought into certain areas of your life can give you profound positive results. I am hopeful I reach whoever needs to hear this message today. If you feel yourself reacting or offended as you read, that "whoever" might be you.
1. Pride v. Humility
Ecclesiasticus 10:13 “For pride is the beginning of sin, and he that hath it shall pour out abomination: and therefore the Lord brought upon them strange calamities, and overthrew them utterly.”It is better to be humble than to be full of pride. I was thinking on this when the perfect quote came to me. "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less." Pride is tied to ego while humility is free of the ego. We cannot learn and grown when we are concerned of how others view us. We need to release this mindset and only concern ourselves with what He thinks of us.
2. Greed v. Charity
Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.People who focus on greed are ALWAYS focused on "stuff." They will never have enough and constantly want more. Living a life being dissatisfied and lacking is not a happy life. There is no joy in stuff, and when you pass to the next life none of this matters. Rather than worry what you don't have, think about how much you do have to be grateful for. There is more happiness in being a giver than constantly craving more. It is truly a perception change that will allow you to experience joy versus constant lack.
3. Lust v. Chastity
1 John 2:16 - For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.Our current world has corrupted morals and has allowed the devil to get into the mind's of many. Sex is everywhere and because it is a primal act it can draw in a corruptible mind. Men want it to fulfill a physical need, and women use it for attention (and sometimes physical need as well).
It used to be honorable hold out and save yourself for your life partner, or at a minimum be in a monogamous relationship. Sex in itself is not bad. God created it to feel good and an experience to be shared with your spouse. It is said over and over in the bible that a man is to enjoy his wife and a woman is to enjoy her husband (1 Corinthians). It is a fundamental part of marriage and creating a family. Fast forward to today and it is common practice for men and women to have multiple hookups and partners with no regard for what they are doing. It is as if nothing is viewed as sacred anymore.
Women, respect yourself in mind, body and spirit. If you want a good man, carry yourself in a high-value manor. I'm not saying you have to be a prude, but save something to the imagination and something that is shared only with your partner. Good men don't want to share their wife with the world. AND... if you have been led astray, it is never too late to change your life and become the person you want to be.
Men, don't allow your urge to corrupt your mind. A good woman doesn't want a man whore or one who spends their time seeking porn. The bible clearly says that sex is ok and enjoyable, but it is to be enjoyable with a life partner, not yourself or random people. IF you are having issues, detox from the porn (it will get easier with time) and seek a real partner. We are created to have human connection, not one with a phone or computer screen.
4. Envy v. Gratitude/Kindness
Proverbs 24:1 - Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them."Comparison is the thief of joy."- Theodore Roosevelt
The above quote says it all. Once you stop to compare yourself and envy others you immediately rob yourself of joy. Live in gratitude and you be filled with even more gratitude. Your heart will be so full you cannot feel anything other than joy.
Try this exercise: Regardless of your mindset, you can rework and train your mind. When you wake up either write or mentally think about 5 things you are grateful for. It can be as simple as a warm bed, birds chirping or the smell of coffee waiting. If you work you mind to have gratitude you will slowly rewire yourself to always think in that way. Try it for a week. What do you have to lose?
5. Gluttony v. Temperance
Proverbs 23:20-21 - Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.Gluttony and overindulgence is slowly killing our world. Our body is our temple, so do things that respect that temple. You are what you eat- how does that settle with you?
Are you having a struggle in this area of your life? Work on self-control. Educate yourself. Take steps to get away from the soda, junk food and all the other crap they market to people. Another word to the wise- taking shots to lose weight is the new fad. Not only are you putting pharma [pharmakeia means drug, potion, spells and poison in Greek - just sayin'] in your body, the results are temporary unless you change your life choice (or take shots for life). Real change comes from within and real change is work - not a shot or pill.
6. Wrath v. Patience
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,Hate can cloud judgement, make a person act without thinking and slowly eat at them. Hate and vengeance acts like a virus, steals your essence and takes your happiness. I firmly believes it takes more effort and energy to be hateful than it does to be neutral, pleasant and patient to a situation.
Patience can be tough, but most times leads to a better outcome. Many times situations that bring about a wrathful feelings (traffic, lines, waiting on hold, etc) will not change regardless of how angry you get. You can take a breath and acknowledge the emotion you are experiencing and it may feel to come from a valid event, but try to allow logic to settle in while allowing the anger pass. Pushing anger onto others just spreads more anger like a virus, so put it to rest whenever you can. Patience can be learned through mindful practice and can bring about a much better way to push through a trying situation. It will feel challenging to do this, but just as the pattern of anger is created, you can create a pattern of patience.
7. Sloth v. Diligence
In more modern quotes, "If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got."-Einstein. This quote proves exactly right. If you live a life of sloth, you will get what you always had. You may want and wish things, but you have to put effort into life if you want to truly have more. If you give up, don't expect to be rewarded. It is those that work, even fail, but continue to work that truly win. Set some goals, even if they are small [organize a drawer, clean out something, walk around the block, drink more water, etc] and work to achieve those goals. Little wins and accomplishments can do wonders to inspire you to tackle more. This also doubles as a great way to work through some mild or seasonal depression.
I hope I was able to give you some words to think on! Even writing and compiling my thoughts gave me moments of pause to reflect.
Blessings,
Lynn
Click the tab above for more on Life, Wellness, Spiritual or Religious Coaching OR Distance Reiki.
Looking for a way to tip the blog to support future free content? https://www.buymeacoffee.com/PsychicFocus
.jpg)
Stay connected!! Please join me on the Telegram Channel or Telegram Chat
Check out my book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/341G48y
2 comments:
I so much prefer to focus on the seven virtues as opposed to the deadly sins which people seems to celebrate without attaining balance in their lives due to peer pressure and the pervasive media and music that promotes sin as virtue.
In regards to rage orimpatience vs patience, Reiki tells us "Just for today, practice being calm when confronted with someone or an event that is upsetting," and I love that simple philosophy that has helped me on many occasions even though I might still feel rage over certain things or events that happen and make no sense. Leonardo da Vinci wrote that the stupidity of those around him often made him have to focus on being more patient.
@Robert: Thank you so much for the comment. This is so well said!
Post a Comment