By Edgar Twedt
“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 well anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
These words were penned by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and they hold profound insights for all of us. In essence we should not worry about what others think and say. No matter what others may say or how they act we should always keep these things in the forefront of our lives: forgiveness, kindness, honesty, happiness, doing well, and giving our best. Perhaps Mother Teresa’s deepest insight is that this way of living is first and foremost between us and God, and never between us and “them.” This way of living is what God wants for all of us. When we get this clear in our minds and in our words and actions our lives move closer to what the Scriptures call Kingdom living. AND when we realize it’s between and God and us, it draws us closer to God, which is exactly where we want to be.