Mother Teresa once said and I quote:
"At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in. Hungry not only for bread-but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing-but naked of human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks-but homeless because of rejection.”
Unquote.
Good morning…
Mahatma Gandhi has rightly said that the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. There are several divine and devoted ones who have laid down their lives to put someone else’s need before their own. The list includes Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Dalai Lama… I could go on.
After His last supper here on earth, Jesus Christ sat with His disciples, knowing His mortal life would soon be taken. He knew that He would suffer for the sins of the world. He knew that one of His apostles would betray Him to the mob that would crucify Him. Though He must have felt the weight of all of these heavy thoughts, Jesus Christ humbly knelt and washed His disciples' feet before He left them.
The Son of God, who had lived a perfect life, had power to heal the sick and raise the dead, and change water to wine, performed this simple and lowly act of service. No one mightier or more worthy of devotion ever lived, but He knelt and cleansed the feet of His disciples. The Savior provided the perfect example of service. Every minute of His ministry here on earth was spent in service of His fellow human beings.
Mahatma Gandhi stands as one of history’s greatest heroes of “engaged spirituality,” that is active within the world to help heal injustice, hatred, pettiness, fear and violence.
Mother Teresa is famously referred to as the vocation of service. She gained worldwide acclaim with her tireless efforts on behalf of world peace. She was one of the pioneers of establishing homes for AIDS victims. For more than 45 years, Mother Teresa comforted the poor, the dying, and the unwanted around the world. She is stated to have said that earthly rewards were important only if they helped her help the world’s needy.
These stories tell us that service connects us to those we serve and gives us a kind of satisfaction that self-interest can never offer. Service happens in big ways and small, in public and in private, for friends and for strangers. It should be motivated by love. As Muhammad Ali said: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
