Food for Thought on your Lenten Journey
Complacency and Consequences
Photo by Danny Lines on Unsplash
A.W. Tozer wisely said, "Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth."
There comes a time in our spiritual journey when we reach a closer relationship with God and experience inner peace. It's a beautiful feeling … we are where we wanted to be … our work is done…right? Not on your life. Spiritual growth is a perpetual process.
Satan patiently waits for us to become complacent. He wants us to feel so peaceful and close to God, that we think skipping Mass, and our daily prayer and meditation routine won't hurt us. He wants us to revert back to our old sinful behavior. He tempts us with memories of fun and excitement while suppressing the disastrous consequences. It reminds me of an incident that happened a few years back … I'm sure Satan was pulling the strings:
I suffer from depression and am on daily medication. At one point, I decided to stop taking it because I was feeling really good. It didn't take too long before I crashed and burned. My doctor kindly reminded me that I felt better because I routinely took my medication. Duh...
Complacency weakens our spiritual strength and distances us from God. Just as medication keeps illness at bay, maintaining a spiritual routine does the same to Satan.
"And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand."
Matthew 7:26
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About the Author
Patti J. Mitchell (formerly Smith) is a devoted Catholic and pro-life advocate. She shares her journey from a life of sinful excess to redemption across the country, including pro-life conferences, to members of Congress, at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., and the Walks for Life in San Diego and San Francisco. She has been a guest on several radio shows, including Immaculate Heart Radio and Radio Maria. She also appears in two documentaries, "The Sidewalk Chronicles" and "Hush."
Patti writes Christian devotionals. One of them, "Redeemed – Rosary Meditations for Post-Abortive Women," is used at healing retreats and written in a way to be used by all denominations. Her most recent release is "And God Still Loves Me – A Story of Hope and Healing." She has also had articles published in the National Catholic Register, Life News, and the Southern Cross.
She is a retired background investigator, married and lives in Puyallup, Washington.
