I recently read a blog of an account of a young, collegiate woman’s experiences of a summer trip to India. Besides being awed by her literary prowess and insightful outlook, I took away a lesson from her writings. In particular, she wrote about the extreme, sacrificial kindness she experienced from locals, complete strangers, in the country, and how she decided to vow to dedicate the rest of her trip to fulfilling the happiness of others as she had been fulfilled. I don’t know where that woman is in her faith journey—but I know that God is ALL over that kind of mentality. It reminds me a lot of Jesus’ words, “To keep your life you must lose it.”
I took her advice, Jesus’ advice rather, this past couple of weeks. I spent all day today redecorating my little sister’s bedroom, organizing her drawers, and washing her bed set because I wanted to make her feel special. I also rearranged my parents’ basement and {if I do say so myself} it looks better than it has looked in years so that my mom doesn’t feel so overwhelmed when she steps into the abyss of our basement. All last week I picked up my mom from her workplace and we went and ate a 20 minute lunch with my grandma everyday so she didn’t have to spend ALL of her day alone in her reading chair. I give away hugs at a frequency that would astonish most of the people who know me. Don’t get me wrong—doing these things does make ME happy—but it wasn’t what I was doing that made me smile. It was the who behind it all. A lot of the time it wasn’t convenient or glamorous, but I have felt more joy and community with people than I have in…maybe ever? The world is so much more beautiful when it stops revolving around me.
Oh yes, and I was also an involuntary blood donor to a VERY hungry spider this week, as well. I hope it is really, really, really happy because I donated 11 times from my neck to my bellybutton.
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