Eddie’s dad was an alcoholic. Money that might have been spent on buying toys for him was spent by his dad at the local bar. Eddie felt hurt that he couldn’t have what other kids in the neighborhood had, so he took to stealing. One day he watched some kids playing basketball. When they went to get a drink of water, Eddie stole one of their basketballs. He believed that if he had what they had he would be happier—maybe the pain that came from having an alcoholic dad might go away.
We know, of course, that stealing is wrong. Eddie did also. We also know that what we get through theft will make us feel less happy rather than happier. Why, then do we do things that are counter to God’s purposes?
Each of us deals daily with wars within ourselves. For some, like Eddie, the wars may be rooted in jealousy. For others it may be pride, lust, gluttony, or one of the other “deadly sins.”
St. James addressed this issue in his letter to the Christians of his time (James 4:1-10).
“Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy, but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask.”
Even the early Christians were not exempt from envy. Like a poison this sin worked its way into people’s hearts. They were deceived into thinking that if they had what others had, they would be happier. And so conflict and wars erupted even among those in the Christian community. They had Jesus alive in their hearts and direct access to their Father in heaven. Wasn’t that enough? And if they felt they needed something, why didn’t they go directly to God and ask for it? Why did they think that using their own power was a better way?
James went on to teach,
“You ask but do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your own passions. Adulterers! Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?”
A prayer motivated by love for the world will not be answered. Why would a loving God give his child something that has the potential of destroying his or her relationship with him? Any prayer motivated by feeding our own passions will not be answered because God loves us and will do nothing to push us further away from him.
What then is the answer to this war within? When we ask, how do we ask “rightly?” James gets to the root of the matter, when he reminds us that,
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. So submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
At the root of our inner wars is “pride.” Like Adam and Eve there is something inside us that does not want to submit to God. There is something inside us that still falls for the Devil’s tricks. The answer that James puts before us is humility. A humble person knows that happiness lies in being close to God. What the world has to offer will never meet our deepest needs. Humility is a virtue that allows us to let go of our own controlling tactics, and turn all of our needs over to God, who provides bountifully for each of his children.
Writer Heather Wilson comments: “Sadly we may miss the fact that we are always given exactly what we need” (Living with Christ, May 2018, p. 161). Right now, even amid my difficult circumstances, I have exactly what I need—even if that includes suffering. If I had something beyond this, I would be less happy.
James concludes with the statement that is the ultimate solution to all of our wars within.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.”
Humility breeds thankfulness. When I am humble I give thanks to God for his gift of salvation, for his gift of the Holy Spirit, for the purifying circumstances of my life, and for the daily bread that he always gives me. When my heart is filled with gratitude, there is no room for envy.
“Cast your care upon the Lord, and he will support you; never will he permit the just man to be disturbed” (Ps 55:23).
