But
Why?
Psychologist
M. Scot Peck recalls a time when he met a high school classmate at the age of fifteen. Here are his reflections after a
conversation with his friend:
I suddenly realized that for the entire
ten-minute period from when I had first seen
my acquaintance until that very moment, I had been totally self-preoccupied.
For the two or three minutes
before we met, all I was thinking about was the clever things I might say that would impress him. During our
five minutes together, I was listening
to what he had to say only so that I might turn it into a
clever rejoinder. I watched him only so that I might see what effect my
remarks were having upon him. And for
the two or three minutes after we separated, my
sole thought was of those things I could have said that might have
impressed him even more.
I had not cared a whit for my classmate.
What
is most startling in reading this detailed explanation of what was going on
beneath the surface of this fifteen-year-old boy, is the recognition that
the same dynamics continue for most of us into our twenties, thirties,
fifties, seventies, and nineties! We
remain trapped in living a pretend life—always seeking the approval of
others, always focusing on ourselves.
True
freedom comes when we regularly connect with God, the wellspring of our life,
discover His overwhelming Love and Grace, believe it and therefore receive it so
that we have the emotional wealth
available to focus on others**
Those who receive at the Well are those
who overflow in service to others
**adapted
from Day by Day, Week 2, Day 5
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