Our ministries could affect our joy. Reverend Mother de Lescure points out the this could be because we are giving ourselves too completely to them or we are striving too greatly for success.
She says, "When we give ourselves too entirely to our work and our prayer suffers or we undertake enterprises on our own initiative outside the limits of obedience, we can be certain that our works will accomplish nothing. How can we do good while at the same time holding back from God what is His due?"
I think that we need to be very discerning about our ministries today. It is so easy to get caught up in work, to take on more than we should - we need to discern what God is asking and we also need to learn to say "No, I cannot manage to do that with all the commitments that I have." I am a firm believer in discerning with others and there is joy in knowing that I am doing what God wants and not just what I want to do - I think I used to worry about being a success as a teacher, head of the school, superior, etc. but I think I soon learned that I was just to be effective, not efficient - a retreat director instilled that into me back in 1974 and it is a way to keep one's joy and has helped me immensely.
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