This strikes me as eminently sane, and even wise — and good advice for all of us as we enter a new year.
From Fr. James Martin at the Huffington Post, who marked his 50th birthday by tweeting these life lessons to his friends:
1. First up: Stop worrying so much! It’s useless. (I.e. Jesus was right.) 2. Being a saint means being yourself. Stop trying to be someone else and just be your best self. Saves you heartache. 3. There’s no right way to pray, any more than there’s a right way to be a friend. What’s “best” is what works best for you. 4. Remember three things and save yourself lots of unneeded heartache: You’re not God. This ain’t heaven. Don’t act like a jerk. 5. Your deepest, most heartfelt desires are God’s desires for you. And vice versa. Listen. And follow them. 6. Within you is the idea of your best self. Act as if you were that person and you will become that person, with God’s grace. 7. Don’t worry too much about the worst that can happen. Even if it happens, God is with you, and you can handle it. Really. 8. You can’t force people to approve of you, agree with you, be impressed with you, love you or even like you. Stop trying. 9. When we compare, we are usually imagining someone else’s life falsely. So our real-life loses out. I.e. Compare and despair. 10. Even when you finally realized the right thing, or the Christian thing, to do, it can still be hard to do. Do it anyway. 11. Seven things to say frequently: I love you. Thank you. Thank you, God. Forgive me. I’m so happy for you! Why not? Yes. 12. Peace and joy come after asking God to free you — from anything that keeps you from being loving and compassionate.
And today we celebrate...