Because it is always hanging on my living room wall, I often forget about it. Months will go by between times of reading and meditating on this thought. However, each time I go back to read it, I am again reminded of my place in this journey called life.
There is so much more to my journey than what I can see or even imagine. God requires much of me because He has given me much (Luke 12:48). And, yet, He doesn't work in a vacuum. So, my obedience to Him may be part of someone else's journey. Much of this I won't know this side of Heaven. All I am required to do is obey....the rest is up to Him!
People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For in the end, it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway.
~Mother Teresa
Heidi,
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't read _The First Five People You Meet In Heaven_ by Mitch Albom, add it to your list.
I love the fact that we are part of a bigger picture -- God's picture. Thinking that your smile for the cashier at the grocery store is part of God's plan for _her_ redemption reminds me how awesome our Lord is. We're all interconnected and we all have a role in the plan.
I love the fact that, on this earth, I don't understand the Big Picture. I don't HAVE to understand it. I'm not orchestrating the complexities of life, He is. I don't have to understand why the county has petitioned to take our two other sons, He does and it's in His plan.
A huge lesson for me in our adoption odyssey has been to trust God. He gave us these boys, each a gift beyond measure. He has provided for them while I've been unemployed and milk prices have dropped to their lowest in decades. He has strengthened our faith as we stepped out of our comfortable church to find a church where the boys could be more involved. He has led us to resources and services to help the boys heal. Do I need to go on?!
The fact is, we can choose to be part of God's plan or we can choose to be grumpy, mean-spirited, selfish, and greedy. Despite what we choose to do, God's Big Picture will continue and He will be glorified!