GIVE YOURSELF AWAY

“The Christian solitary does not seek solitude merely as an atmosphere or as a setting for a special and exalted spirituality. Nor does he seek solitude as a favorable means for obtaining something he wants--contemplation. He seeks solitude as an expression of his total gift of himself to God.”

-Thomas Merton

It seems counterintuitive to give in order to receive. Yet making a gift of ourselves can result in the unique joy of fulfillment. Find an opportunity to give, or to serve, and you’ll find your own outcome.

Here’s a fun meme to challenge yourself to be of service:

Give yourself a way

to

Give yourself away.

Being of service was the life work of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It brought her peace...

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

... and it made her happy.

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.“

There will always be starving people around us who can use our time, treasure and talent. Answering that call can certainly bring fulfillment.

We can also give ourselves away to laughter, and to joy. There will always be joyful people around us who can use our shared celebration. Answering that call can also bring fulfillment.

Wherever we find ourselves, and whomever we encounter, we can be present to the moment. We can give it all we have. We can allow ourselves to feel it, compassionately and fully, until in that moment we become a part of it. Because we’ve given ourselves a way to give ourselves away, we become who we can be for another. And when we regroup and move on, we are, simply but unequivocally, better, more whole. We’ve gone deeper into ourselves and perhaps found more than we knew was there.

Try it. You will chart a course of coming to know yourself better, and learning to like yourself more. And it’s likely that others will see that same new layer of you, and your relationships will prosper.