On Conquering Oneself

By Apolinario Villalobos

In every person, there is always the good and the bad sides. No man is free from having a bad side, not even saints, or even Jesus when he was still on earth, as shown by his cursing a fig tree that did not bear fruits…and, everybody knows that cursing is bad.

It takes much effort in telling ourselves on the mirror, how bad we are, as pride always gets in the way. And, most often, we justify our bad acts by telling ourselves that we did them for defense or that others are even worse than us.

If we want to change our ways, we should not compare ourselves with others on how they fare in acting badly which may be worse than us. We should amend our wicked ways first before we exert at least a bit of influence to change those of others. Also, we should open our minds and eyes on the inspiring ways of others that we could emulate.

In conquering ourselves, we should not let pride get in the way. Most importantly, while we have the noble intention to change our ways for the better, there is still a need that our spiritual foundation is strong enough to withstand the pressure of resistance which is innate in us. And, this is only possible by having an unwavering faith in Him.