| Secrets of a Beautiful Life |
Chapter 1 |
Page 5 |
Another of the secrets of a beautiful life is found in the word “serving.” Our Lord gave us the full truth when He said of His own mission, that He came, “not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” When we understand the meaning of this word, and then relate ourselves to all others about us in accordance with this standard, we begin to be a blessing to every one. Our thought then ever is, not what we can get of pleasure, of help, of profit, of comfort, of good in any form, from others, but what we can give to them. True loving is not receiving, but giving. The Christlike desire toward our friends is not that we may get something from them that they may be of use to us, but that in some way we may be a blessing to them, may do them good. This feeling will restrain us from ever harming another in any way. It will keep us from offering temptation to another. It will make us watchful of our influence over others, lest in some way we cast a hurtful instead of a healing shadow upon them. It will also temper our demands of others, since we are seeking, not to be ministered unto, but to minister. It will turn the whole thought of our life from the mere seeking of happiness to the doing of good to others, the giving of happiness.
“Life were not wroth the living,
If no one were the better
For having met thee on the way,
And known the sunshine of thy stay.
Give as thy God is giving;
To on one be a debtor!
So hearts shall faster beat for thee,
And faces beam thy light to see.”
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