«These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full» (John 15:11).
MARITZA LIVED in a mountainous area away from Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. Poverty had been the theme of her life, and she always complained about countless illnesses and pains. She was constantly in a bad mood, and I did not know why. However, in time, she herself told me the hard story of her life, so I was able to sympathize with her a little more. You see, when her son was two years old and had to be hospitalized, a nurse incorrectly calculated the dosage of the medication prescribed, and that caused the child’s death. When Maritza discovered that what had taken the life of her son had been negligence on the part of the hospital, she felt deeply downcast. In addition, for some inexplicable reason, Maritza did not love her older daughter, so she ended up sending her to live with Maritza’s parents. As if this were not enough, things had not gone well for her in love. After having had several partners, all she had left them were terrible memories. I would talk to her about Jesus and of His transforming power, but she seemed to ignore my words. One day, she left without notice, and I never heard of her again. I wonder how her character evolved and whether she managed to leave behind her persistent bad mood.
Friend, I know how difficult it is to banish bad moods from your character forever when life has hit you so hard, but difficult does not mean impossible. The first step, obviously, is to remind yourself every day of the existence of Christ and the Holy Spirit, from whom flows the power to conquer. The second step is identifying with your Master. You know, Jesus was the very Son of God, obedient to the Father in everything, and nevertheless, He suffered pain, mistreatment, and accusations; He had nowhere to lay His head; and finally, He was unjustly arrested and flogged, and died on a cross. However, He was a joyful person. How do we know it? The Bible says it: «These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full» (John 15:11).
If you are motivated in life to follow Christ, be more and more like Him, and give a good witness of Him, it is imperative that you work on that bad-tempered character that you have. We give a very bad witness of the Savior when a dark cloud is persistently with us.
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Women’s 2020
«One Day at a Time»
From: Patricia Muñoz Bertozzi
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Magda Sanz T
