A Little Help From Mother Teresa

Here is a poem attributed to Mother Teresa - it was found written on a wall in the orphanage she ran in Calcutta. The original source of the poem is Kent M. Keith - both are powerful messages and words to live by yet Mother Teresa's (slightly) different version brings a surrendering to God for all the possibly outcomes that invokes a very true sense of peace. Here's the poem:

Mother Teresa's Anyway Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
 

~
Yes, these are powerful words but they are also difficult words to bring to play - you see we have all been on both sides of these issues. We have built and and we have destroyed, we have knocked people down and helped others up - in other words we have been human. The question then ultimately comes down to our ability to forgive and accept ourselves, to recognize our faults and love ourselves thoroughly through them and because of them yet not succumb to the apathy of our lesser selves. We are all truly better then we know and capable to a depth of compassion and love that may seem to belong only to realm of saints and avatars. Yet Jesus cursed the fig tree and still forgave from the cross, the Buddhist saint  Milarepa was a thief and murderer who then rose to a level of compassion and caring that he was sought out from his remote Tibetan cave for council and wisdom, while Saul was struck blind from his horse to atone for the slaughter of thousands he gained new life as Paul and was to sainthood. I think our own personal sins are much milder, and if not, there is still the seed of kindness and compassion that must only be cultivated. It's possible. Remember the final analysis - it always between us and God and in this surrender we are able to rule our inner world.

Peace,
Eric