Yesterday I walked upstairs to speak with a young friend of mine at school. He was trained in eight years of Catholic seminary, but stopped short of ordination and is now a husband and father. He’s a delightful, courtly young man and I greatly respect his spirituality and his intelligence. I explained that I needed to speak with someone who understood the spiritual implications of decisions made at work.
In vague terms, which I will use here with you as well, I described a situation in which I felt that I had been wronged behind the scenes and wanted to somehow expose the wrong and defend myself. I told him that although I felt that God was using this situation to expose my pride and that it was for my best, I still struggled with whether to accept the situation or press it. He said something that made me guffaw–loudly: “Don’t feed the soap opera demon.”
Oh my gosh, what wonderful advice! My navel-gazing introspection and self-pity evaporated immediately–poof. Although he called it a demon over Latin America, I believe we all are affected by it every once in a while. Thank God for friends who speak the truth in love.
“Is not your fear of God your confidence, And the integrity of your ways your hope? Job 4:6
Photo credit: http://www.threadless.com/threadless/greatanother-soap-opera/
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