Who Knew

So I'm going to be taking a class at my church which is a book study on The Confessions by Saint Augustine. I'm very excited not just because of the class, or the fact that Clifton, my pastor, is teaching it, but because once a week I get to act like an adult for an hour and a half. Ahhhhh, it's going to be great. I'm also hoping that it will help me kick the last lump of postpartum junk that seems to be lingering.

Last night, like the big dork I am, I began reading the Preface and a chapter that goes over his chronology. And to my amazement, even though he was sainted by the Catholic church, he did not lead an entirely "pure" life. This made me realize I know very, very little about this whole sainthood thing. Perhaps this class will help to educate me, even if I'm not Catholic, I still consider Catholicism a part of my christian ancestry, just like Judaism. I mean shortly after Jesus was risen, most Christians were thrown into this Catholic category.

Leaving that tangent aside, I am really enthralled by St. Augustine. The life he lived is very inspiring. Most of his life was a spiritual quest, and even when he realized his past was not ideal to his new life he just stopped, and accepted his new life without guilt. It makes me realize that right now in my life there are many temptations that I give into, and I know there are better ways to go about doing things.

The difference between me and Augustine is that once he knew there was a better way, he took on the right way and left the old behind. I know I shouldn't over eat, and that sometimes "showing" Devon how to be patient when punishing her would be more effective that yelling, and oh boy there is so much more, but the point is I can't rid my life of these bad habits until I accept the right way and persevere through temptation to go down the easy road. Yes, snacking at night might temporarily make me feel better but in the long road it only hurts me. I can say no, but it is so much easier to keep doing things the old way.

So it looks to me like this little book study might teach me more about myself, than Augustine. Fascinating! Something tells me Clifton knew this aspect of the class when he decided to teach. He's sneaky like that.