A few thoughts about our attitude…..are we humble, or are we proud?
Do you ever have this feeling that you are better than your husband? Do you find you look down on him because he doesn’t quite measure up to your expectations of whatever……orderliness, manners, managing finances, education, etc. It’s easy to fall into this trap and to replay it over and over again in our minds.
If you are thinking this way, I want you to remember that he has qualities that you are lacking. Would you like it if he looked down on you for not measuring up to the qualities he holds so dear?
“Do you wish to be great? Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation.”
–Saint Augustine
“The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.”
–Saint Vincent de Paul
“Humility does not disturb or disquiet or agitate, however great it may be; it comes with peace, delight, and calm. . . . The pain of genuine humility doesn’t agitate or afflict the soul; rather, this humility expands it and enables it to serve God more.”
–St Teresa of Avila
from Fascinating Womanhood:
Similar to self-righteousness is a feeling of superiority. You may consider yourself more intelligent, better educated, more skilled, alert, careful, clever, or successful than he. You may come from a better family background, one with more money and status.
With this view of yourself, you may take the initiative to shape him up to your standards. If you want a good marriage, don’t count the worth of these things in your favor, or flaunt them before him, making him feel inferior.
Instead, learn to appreciate the things which really count.
One thing that makes it difficult to overlook a fault in a man is that his faults are different from yours.
He may be disorganized and messy, whereas you may be neat and orderly. He may be forgetful and you may be alert.
On the other hand, you may be critical whereas he is inclined to be forgiving. You may be tardy and he may be prompt.
Because your faults are different, you may focus on his and overlook your own. The next time you are troubled about your husband’s faults, say to yourself, “He has this fault but he is better than me in other ways.”
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Catholic Hearth Stories!
Available here.
We often don’t realize the impact of those lessons, those Catholic lessons, that are taught each day to our children. It is so much worth the effort! The signs of the crosses, kneeling to say prayers, dipping fingers in holy water, laying fresh flowers at the statue of Our Lady, etc., etc. These are gold nuggets that will live on in your children’s lives. This is building Catholic Culture!
The following two books are to help you parents with those little things…..They are story books from my new little series, “Catholic Hearth Stories”. I wrote them especially for my grandchildren….and am sharing them with yours.
Catholic Hearth Stories are tales filled with traditional, old-fashioned values. They are about everyday situations in the life of a Catholic family…Tales about home, friends, fun, sacrifice, prayer, etc. These are full-color books sure to capture the heart of your children.
Each book is about 35 pages of full-color pictures that tell a lovely Catholic story. The ages they are appropriate for are approximately 4 – 12 years.
Celine’s Advent: Take a walk through Advent as Celine and her family prepare for the coming of the Baby Jesus at Christmas! You will enjoy celebrating the beauty of the season with Celine as she helps her mom with the special traditions and activities that make the liturgy come alive in their home! Her “peanut gallery” consists of a mouse named Percy and some charming and delightful Christmas Angels! They are sure to capture your heart!
Joseph and the Bow Shoot: Meet Joseph, a Catholic boy who wants to enter the Parish Bow Shoot but doesn’t have a bow. How does he overcome this obstacle and what lessons does he learn along the way?
Two Tea Parties and a Sacrifice: Meet Agnes, a fourteen-year-old Catholic girl, who is challenged to make a sacrifice. Will she cheerfully accept what she knows is God’s will in this situation?
Brendan, The Seafarer: It’s Brendan’s birthday and he is fighting pirates, steering ships and wielding swords! He learns of St. Brendan, the Navigator and the pious Christopher Columbus. Life is a nautical adventure for him! Will his daydreaming cause him trouble? What lessons does he learn?
There is a “peanut gallery” in this book….a turtle named Ollie and a seahorse named Sherman and other sea creatures that make their appearance now and again and have their own chats among themselves!
I wish I could remember this more than the rest at this moment, “One day at a time. This is very important. Very often we exhaust ourselves going over the past again and again and also our fears about the future. But when we live in the present moment, we mysteriously find strength.”
Thank you!
I love the book Fascinating Womanhood! I am on my third time of reading it and I learn more from it each time I read it!
Jilly oxooxo