Thursday, December 23, 2010

I do it for the blessings. . .?

I see you in the last days; I see you huddled in your cellar with your family surrounding you and the door locked, the bolt drawn. I see your face as the door is pounded on, as your friends scream, as strangers plead, as children of God beg to be let in and your face is a cold, dispassionate one. Your reasoning? You have none; at least, not a valid one, you never will.


Do you really want to be this person? I am sorry if you do.


When the end comes--and it will-- I hope that I am swept away by whatever catastrophe is out there. I hope I am swept away while I am lifting a child, stitching a wound, serving those around me. It's not about what we want, it's about what God wants.


What is my reasoning? I have none; at least, I strive to have none. I don't care that any act of kindness, of sacrifice, of love done on my part is done for my benefit. Why do I do it? I hear that I'm supposed to help because its good, because I'll be blessed. Is this why I should serve those around me? Is it because I should see the long term blessings?


If this is what it takes for you to do good then by all means, go for it. But I do it because I want to. I do it because there's this innate need in me to reach out to others. There's no way to describe to it, to put a name to it. Psychiatrists, theorists, scientists fight this idea of a natural tendency built within us to do good.


We believe that there's always a reason, a benefit to ourselves for serving someone else. I don't. I believe this idea to be wrong, to be selfish. I don't want to serve someone thinking, "I will be blessed for this" or "they may prove useful to me someday" or "people are watching and its expected." I want to serve because I want to, because I love naturally.

No comments:

Post a Comment