Don't be discouraged by falling into same pits

Am I doing something wrong?  I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  I have given my heart, my life, my everything over to Him on many occasions, and yet I sin.  I still get angry in traffic.  I still struggle to be more selfless in my relationships.  I still desire things that are sinful and that are bad for me.  Why?  
It is obvious to me that my confession this month is almost identical to last month’s.  I keep falling into the same pits and falling for the same tricks of our enemy, the Ancient Serpent.  
Does this sound familiar to you?  I think we have been conditioned to expect immediate results.  Maybe that’s part of our consumeristic culture, or perhaps it is the effect of a theology that surrounds us.  We are told that once we accept Jesus then the struggle is over.  We are saved and we walk in the light with Jesus.  Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but I continue to struggle to be more like Jesus.
The good news is this: If we keep fighting to be holier we will become holier.  While I may not see much difference in my last several confessions, I do see a BIG difference in my contemporary confessions as compared to my confessions a decade ago.  Jesus is transforming me.  It is taking Him longer to perfect me because I am difficult!  There is a reason for the old adage, “Only the good die young.”  
It might also help us to remember that while we do have to make efforts to be holier, the Grace of God does most of the work.  In many ways, becoming holier means becoming more docile.  I think this was Mary’s genius.  She was able to empty herself of her own desires and rather be filled with God.  This is the ultimate challenge for all of us.  We have to train ourselves to empty ourselves of us and fill ourselves with God.  We cannot fill ourselves with God if we are full of ourselves, and God won’t force Himself into our hearts.
Don’t give up!  Keep trying to empty yourself of you and make room for God.  Give yourself away by serving the poor, by giving time to your family and friends, by giving alms for the poor and anything else that helps you die to yourself.
— Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected] 
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