Heights

I have a fear of heights.  I went to a Giants baseball game with a friend.  He bought the tickets.  We were up in the steeply graded third deck.  I practically crawled to my seat looking straight at the ground in front of me.  When I sat down and turned to look down at the field, way down, I said, "I won't go the the bathroom or get anything to eat this game." Gradually, inning by inning I became more comfortable at this height.  I even stood up after five innings to stretch.  I felt at ease when we left the game at the end.  I did not feel like I was going to leap off the edge. The longer I was at this height, the more comfortable and less frightened I became.

Is it not the same way in other areas of our life?  A bad deed may bother us at first.  But if we repeat it enough it becomes a habit that seems "OK" to do, or at least does not bother us so much.  The same with a good deed.  Good habits become easier over time.  When I first decide to make a change in my prayer life, it seems difficult.  "I am going to sit in silence."  A few minutes seems interminable.  Over time, it seems to get easier, and time passes more quickly, in spite of the ups and downs of moods.  Any change seems difficult at first, does it not?  But then it is all relative, like a great height, that becomes more level over time.  Oh, I never did go to the bathroom or the concession stand.  But my Giants won!