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Today's
Meditation:
I had a friend once who often volunteered to do things
for other people. I never understood why he did
so, though, because all we ever heard from him were
complaints about how much of his time he spent on the
projects and how unappreciative the recipients of his
efforts were. I'm sure that his efforts were helpful
to others, but I can't imagine that they were joyful times
for him. And they certainly weren't beautiful.
We all can serve. Most of us do serve. But do
we serve because we feel somehow obligated, or because we
truly want to do so? Do we serve because of the
feeling that we'll get and the bragging rights of being so
compassionate that we'll have, or because we know that
service is right, and that in serving we'll be doing
something right with the gifts that we've been given?
There are many ways to serve, and there are many people
who can benefit from our efforts. But the service
becomes beautiful when we do so with joy and all of our
heart. If we're "just not into it," how do
you think the recipients of our efforts feel? If we
serve with no enthusiasm and no love, what's the message
that's being sent to those who are in need? And what
do we get out of it, ultimately, if our whole hearts
aren't in it? Certainly we can't feel that we did
the best that we could, and there will be little
satisfaction.
When we serve, we should take joy with us. We should
do our best to make the experience as positive as
possible, for only if we do so can the experience
transcend the normal and the everyday and become something
special in our hearts and spirits and memories.
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