“So you’ve failed?  You–be convinced of it–can never fail.  You haven’t failed; you’ve acquired experience.  Forward!” — St. Josemaria Escriva

It’s a horrible feeling. You’ve just had a big fall:
• You abandoned your Lenten resolution.
• You lashed out in anger at your spouse.
• You became apoplectic as you sat in a traffic jam, dropping f-bombs like there’s no tomorrow.
• You committed what you consider to be a serious sin against your state in life.
• You fell off the wagon.

You’ve failed. You feel defeated. And now that voice in your head is telling you that you’re no good, that you’ll never be good, that as hard as you try you will never change those bad habits and sins that have plagued you for what seems like your whole life.

And what has just happened is that you’ve played into the devil’s hands: You’ve become more deeply immersed in yourself; you’re naval-gazing; and you’ve completely forgotten that there’s a reason why you call Jesus Christ your SAVIOR. Read more »