If you were to read The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen Covey you would see that the first habit that he explains is to be pro-active. In essence what he means by that is exactly the opposite of being re-active. When someone is re-active they allow their circumstances to effect them. In other words their mood or response is dictated by what is happening around them. He tells his readers not to be that way, but to instead be pro-active by being in charge of your mood and your reaction. He uses the example of Viktor Frankl from Frankl's book entitled Man's Search For Meaning. In that book Frankl explains that he was a prisoner in the German concentration camp during World War II. In the concentration camp he noticed that some of his fellow prisoners chose for themselves to be content in their environment and yet others were truly miserable. It was during that time that he discovered the one true freedom that man has and that is to choose how to respond to any situation. The Apostle Paul taught us this same message many years before in Philippians 4:12 when he said "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." Paul teaches us to choose to be content in all things. So, I challenge you this week to "practice" choosing how you will act in all of your situations. It will not come easy, but with consistent work I believe that as Christians we can choose how to react in any situation and in doing so it would allow us to be a stronger witness for Him!
Blessings,
Fr. John Mozingo+