Self-control: Addressing personal toxicities

Photo by Damon On Road

All of us have had some levels of toxicities lurking in and manifesting from our personalities. Some, for example, may be irrationally jealous, envious, temperamental or revengeful; others, habitual liars, gossipers, control freaks, exploiters, seducers, deceivers, et cetera. We have inherited bad mannerisms, worse attitudes and worst habits and traits from our forefathers due to unconfessed ancestral sins. We are in bondage to the effects of the unconfessed sins of our ancestors. Prayers and sacrifices can break off ancestral bondage and curses passed on down to us and mostly the result takes time to manifest so while waiting for prayers and sacrifices to take effect, we need to tame these demons within us. Moreso, when we are practicing Catholics -- Christians, for that matter -- we should put our toxicities on hold. "Self control" being one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is written in the map and almanac of Christianity, the Bible; and as such, Christians are expected to strive for its fruition in our lives. We cannot be double-minded persons. A Catholic or a Christian in practice cannot be, at the same time, an agent of Hell! When, however, we fall into sinning, the Holy Spirit will convict us of the state of our souls. Go back right away by making a confession to a Catholic priest if we are Catholics or confess your sins direct to God if you are a non-Catholic Christian. If, however, this "sinning and confessing, confessing and sinning" cycle becomes a habit, our spiritual life has not at all leveled up. We are practicing Catholics, practicing Christians still -- but toxic practicing Catholics and Christians! We cannot graduate to the next level in the ladder of spiritual progress if and when we allow ourselves to remain imprisoned in the cycle of spiritual redundancy and stagnation. Stop the cycle and get out of the path laid down by our ancestors via unconfessed sins, self-justification and complacency. Let's do our best to level up by humbling ourselves as to indulge in self-examination, self-acceptance and confession and God will bless our efforts towards becoming the original version of ourselves: the image and likeness of God.