Two Great Virtues

Now my days were more manageable, I began to gain little by little with every small success that might come my way. I now felt a Joy that was a product of my reconciliation with the Lord, this forgiveness thing.

I came to realize as I watched people as they carried their grudges instead of forgiving others for whatever their trespasses may have been, or those who refused to ask for forgiveness by making a simple apology to the offended.

This was what Jesus had taught about in the Lords Prayer, the prodigal son, and many other references. If we cannot forgive nor ask for forgiveness the need for reconciliation will destroy us.

Another virtue that I found to be a great boost to my morale was to help someone. One day while still struggling to gain in self confidence, I was able to push and start a stalled car after work in our parking lot. This was not a big thing , but it made me feel so good and boost my feeling of self worth so much that I still remember it today. Generosity of time in many ways can be very well received and appreciated. An act of recognition such as listening to someone who has something to say, or just a friendly smile, a wave or hello can be very important and even change a day from bad to good for some.

I think Jesus was teaching about such generosity when He told the story of the good Samaritan and other references to helping others. So it is pretty simple it seems to find the Joy of inner peace, help others, and don't carry grudges. There are many opportunities to help others by volunteering in our communities, and we can search our consciences for people that we need to forgive.

If we can find daily routines that reach for these virtues, I believe that our body chemistry will arrive back at the right ratio in time so that we can slowly back off having to supplement our bodies with antidepressants. Of course this would be for a doctor to decide. Even if you do have to stay on medication, I know that this life style that Jesus taught will lead to the Joy of Peace of Mind