The Smallest Things

Surfing the web this afternoon, I chanced upon an interesting little book titled, The Smallest Things Make the Biggest Difference, by Raymond V. Haring, Ph.D. The book is all of 160 pages, with most chapters being one, or in some cases two, pages. Here's a peek into a chapter dealing with values:

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Service or courtesy, like any other value, must be supported with absolute conviction. Yet a value unsupported by actions is much like a table without legs. There is nothing to stand on.

Thinking about a value is actually much different from living it. If you are unsure about your values, all you need to do is look at what you are doing, because it's your actions that reflect your values. "What you value," writes Joel Weldon, "is what you think about. What you think about is what you become." Simple values have far-reaching consequences.
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This is such a big issue for me. I often think about the issue of values, and how important they are in determining the course of our lives. But the values I espouse are all too often not the values I live. Therein lies the rub. This, of course, is a matter of integrity, character, virtue, and I, unhappily, fall short, far short, of demonstrating the kind of character I would like to have. But what can I do except to continue to struggle with the issue, and with my own weaknesses, until such time as I finally manage to bring the values I profess into alignment with the values I live? Very difficult and challenging. But whoever said a life of virtue is an easy thing? Today is yet another opportunity to see if I can get it right. God help me.