Life has been falsely compared to a juggling act, where the juggler tosses many balls in the air with ease and keeps them all circulating magically until he or she sets them down in perfect order.
Real life is not at all like that. In fact, in real life, most of us will make mistakes regularly, and the stakes are much higher than just dropping a few balls.
If you drop some responsibility in real life, it could have lasting, unhappy consequences. Mistakes are frequently made as you try to juggle the conflicting duties and obligations amid the tensions of daily life.
But take heart, because by constantly juggling several objects, just like obligations, that’s how jugglers learn to develop their skills and ultimately learn to balance everything that’s up in the air.
The way a juggler learns to handle several objects is much the same way that a person learns to juggle obligations in life. It’s impossible for an ordinary person to become an overnight expert at juggling obligations. No one is in perfect control all the time. But constant practice, learning to spot what needs immediate attention and what does not, can help us learn this balance.
Just remember not to impose false and unreasonable expectations of perfection on yourself. These high expectations of immediate perfection have the effect of imposing extraordinary burdens on our lives, spiritually and otherwise. When you realize that you’re only an ordinary person, you have a better chance of enjoying your precious life.
Yet why do we grow so impatient when, time and again, we find ourselves falling short of perfection?
When you find yourself falling into this trap, try to remember that no one, except God, is perfect. If you fall short of your expectations, remember that the faults you find so heavy to carry are more sins of weakness than sins of malice.
God is merciful with all sinners, but especially so with those who mean well. But those who are malicious, out to step on others to attain their selfish goals, those are the ones who should fear God’s wrath.
It is normal to feel disappointment in oneself. The disappointments we experience every once in a while in life may be upsetting, but failure isn’t fatal. Adjusting to one’s humanity and lack of perfection takes time and patience.
It’s almost comical and difficult to face this reality if you’re the kind who thinks of yourself as an undiscovered superstar. Remember that it’s hard, if not impossible, to attain perfection in this life.
Finally, we need to remember that in this path toward improvement of our inner lives, it’s especially important to practice kindness, especially kindness to ourselves.
