Michael Glerup, Ph.D wrote an article in Conversations magazine about the fear of God. He looked at how early Christians understood that concept. He wrote, "For early Christians dispassion refers to a sense of inner calm and peace. In antiquity, this disposition of self-control and inner calm could be undermined or disturbed by passions."
An odd coincidence that I read this article after I'd been reflecting on how I come across to people. Twice in the last few days I've thought after meeting someone, "You sure are an excitable person, Lisa." Excitable or some might call hyper, animated, enthusiastic. These latter qualities do come in handy with my grand children. However, I am not so sure adults appreciate this about me.
Then I read about dispassion and inner peace.
Can a person who is excitable and animated have inner peace at the same time?
Dr. Glerup continued in the article, "In the ancient world, these four passions--fear, desire, distress, delight--were viewed negatively because they diminished human freedom and were disruptive to spiritual composure."
Spiritual composure? What's that?
I have spiritual composure if you think of it as peace of soul. I don't doubt that God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that whoever so believes in Him has eternal life. I have a sense of inner calm as I relate to Christ on a daily and moment by moment basis.
In doing my Google research on this topic, I found a great article. The author, a behavioral health consultant and writer, Steven Kalas, describes a person who sounds like ME?!?
http://www.reviewjournal.com/steven-kalas/intense-personality-may-simply-need-calm-down
This article made such a connection with me that I had to copy some of it into this post:
The criticism comes in varied rhetoric, but it all comes down to the same thing: You're too intense, you suck the life out of the room, you're too demanding, you're a narcissist, you think you're better than me, I feel "put down" when I'm with you, you're condescending, you expect too much, you overwhelm me.
I ask if there are other recurring messages he has received over his lifetime. Yes, he does remember other messages: You lift my spirits, you brighten up the room when you walk in, you're optimistic, you're empathic, you have an infectious enthusiasm, you make me think, you are fluid and fun, you have a great sense of humor, you say what you mean, you have a knack for putting things into words, it's flattering to hear you share your critical reflections about what I'm doing or thinking.
I emphasize to the man that these two disparate messages are talking about the same guy. One gives his motive the benefit of the doubt. One impugns his motive, a priori.
The man is tortured by three choices. Either he surrenders to the idea that something is really terribly wrong with him, or he fakes his way through life to maintain some semblance of family and friends, or he stands on some metaphorical mountain and shouts to his tormentors "Go to hell," and decides to be alone. As I listen to him, I think he has lived most of his life doing all three things simultaneously.
I make an admiring mental note about him, that he has managed to walk these 48 years on the planet with reasonable success. I think he doesn't know how resourceful he is. How much healthy ego strength he has.
His lament is one I've heard before. There are people in the world whose type/temperament is naturally enthusiastic (from the Greek enthusia, meaning "filled with God"), who carry charisma, acute sensitivity and high energy into the world. If, on top of all this they also are intelligent ... well, they find themselves unintentionally provocative to some folks. And they are, over and over again, surprised by this, and hurt by the attacks that come.
Well, it is nice to read, "filled with God." On a lighter note, I do have:
as we now have a Trader's Joes in Centennial, CO.
