Sometimes we are discouraged because of our lack of progress. I think the devil tempts me in this way, so let us look at what Reverend Mother de Lescure has to say on what we need to protect our joy from and not let ourselves be discouraged.
"The slowness of our progress - we may have been in religious life four, five, twenty-five years and we have hardly made any progress. The reply to that objection is that Divine Grace is so precious that the least degree that God gives us is infinitely above all that we could obtain by ourselves. Also, that grace is a free gift and by it we were "Divinized" as St. John says. We are sons of God.... We need to remember that we are limited...we do not know the secret, hidden work of God in us....It is another one of God's graces to hide our progress in order to keep our souls in humility....Let us then leave our progress to God...we must have the desire for interior progress, but as soon as this desire becomes a worry or sadness it ceases to be a profit for our souls.
I have now 66 years in Religious Life and know that when I begin to be discouraged because I feel I am not living united to Jesus, it is the weak point where the devil tries to take away my joy. I am, thanks to the Holy Spirit, aware of this and say to myself, "Courage, confidence and go on serving the Lord with joy!
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