As Mary DeMuth continues Chapter 7 of The Wall Around Your Heart, she cautions that if you’re an all-or-nothing person (as the author tends to be), one small mistake can open the door for widespread failure the rest of the day! For example, if you give in to anger, you’re likely to throw up your hands and continue angry responses throughout the day. Mary notes that rooted in an all-or-nothing mind-set is a strange form of perfectionism. If you can’t be perfect, you might as well fail completely.
A second problem with an all-or-nothing mind-set is falling into the trap of pride and arrogance, seeing yourself as superior to those directly/indirectly responsible for your ministry downsizing or vocation loss. This, Mary stresses, is not the daily help Jesus wants to give us. Jesus wants us to become patient, kind, and long-suffering. Part of asking for what we need is finding balance within this mind-set.
We must seek a holy contentment for today. As Mary points out, we’re called to follow Jesus, not have an unholy curiosity about others:
“We’re called to follow Jesus in the Great Right Now. Wherever He leads. Wherever He takes us. Whenever He calls. However He wants. In whatever manner He deems. We are called to look away from others and look toward Jesus. The nourishment He gives us is contentment in the moment that we are uniquely us, not them.”
Today’s question: What kinds of all-or-nothing mind-sets have you experienced following your vocation loss? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Christian perfection”
