| Spread our love :D |
[Jan. 14th, 2009|04:05 pm] |
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You know, ever since I decided to go to Church on a regular basis, some metamorphosis seemed to be taking place in me O:
Well it's not the body, but rather the brain. Church have been affecting me in a positive way. Uh. Well, I don't know how to put it in words, but it's like I've been constantly questioning myself about what I really want, and how I want to live my life.
You see, in the past, I've always wanted to be someone successful, somebody who can drive expensive cars, living in landed properties, living the life of the rich and famous, glamour. I was selfish, and I always put myself before anything or anybody else. I've never thought that I was wrong, not even a teeny bit of self remorse. I know I have many faults, but selfishness has never appeared in the list of my shortcomings. Like how I always whine when my mom ask me to help her wash the pots and stuff, how I always neglected festive givings. I wanted people to give, but never thought about giving. God seems to know that this was my biggest fault, because I've been receiving many lessons and examples on people giving to others, and what they got out of it.
It sort of started last sunday, during the session at church. There was this Hong Kongn-er professor who came over and share about how he had shared with the others. According to him, Shanghai, like any other city in China, was a place where there is a very significant and sharp difference between the rich and the poor. The rich, were obviously very rich, and the poor was really super poor. The poor people really want to study but because Shanghai doesn't allow these poor outlanders (most of them were from other provinces) to continue studying in public schools after secondary education, and they obviously cannot attend private schools, these poor young people who could have bright futures ahead of them had to abandon their dreams and come out to work. With only a secondary education level, where do you think those people can work at? The males went to for labour extensive jobs, while the female worked at sleazy nightclubs. The professor, having seen this, felt deeply for the poor, and he tried to raise funds to provide for these people. After months of hard work, they established a foundation that catered for these poor people, granting their many wishes to continue studying. People were touched, for they have strove hard for the poor's welfare instead of their own. Selfless, these people are. In the name of Christ and the teachings of the Church they loved the poor, and they worked hard to ensure that these people can have a future. Granted, they could have used a bit of the funds to built an office for the volunteers to worked at, but they didn't. Every single cent went into the the money for the poor. People respected them and loved them. Their joy was immeasurable when they visited the school they set up for the poor and people embraced them. This is something that could never be gained through monetary means, something greater than what a person could ever achieved no matter how successful they were.
The second lesson came via a magazine. The January issue of the Reader's Digest. My family never subscribed to the magazine, and it felt like a teaching exclusively from God. The featured article was about how another man did his best for the unfortunate. Jet Li, as everyone knows, is a very successful movie star. But what something that not everyone knows is how he give to the unfortunate, how he sacrificed his time and efforts to aid those under priviledged. He was not all along selfless. Once, he was a person striving for personal fame, a person living for himself. But something changed him. The 2004 tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean. He was holidaying at the Maldives when the calamity strucked. He experienced the helplessness, the desperation and the pain of people trapped in disasters. Since then, his beliefs and principles drastically changed. Upon his return, he came up with an idea to help the people. a foundation which can swiftly arrive at the the strickened scene and provide aid to the people affected. As a person who had been through the desperation and helplessness of a disaster, he knows that it is of utmost importance of haste in a relief mission. He set up the One Foundation, a foundation which worked with the Red Cross. His principle behind the foundaton was that if everyone donates a single dollar, many others will be saved through the massive amount of money raised. Perhaps a single dollar does not mean much to any of us, but if everyone put that single dollar into charity foundation, it will be a super huge amount of funds for the poor. However, it was not this that touched me the most. It was how a super successful celebrity like Jet Li, is willing to spend years and massive amount of effort into helping the less fortunate. He could have spent those months, like the days he spent at Sichuan during the aftermath of the earthquake tending and helping in every single way he could, at parties with the famous, enjoying himself, or produce another movie which could earn him millions. Instead, he decided to sacrifice himself for others, reducing the pain of the stricken people.
Christ came to the mortal world to relieve our sins. He selflessly bore those sins upon himself, and even up to the point where He was about to be crucified, He did not regret. We have to forever remember that He came and loved every single one of us, took away our sins, and sacrificed Himself for mankind. I know it is not simple for us to follow what He had done, but others had been selfless, like the 2 examples above, had already showed how a mere mortal like ourselves can love and help others.
Which is why I'm starting to think about how I can help others, instead of constantly asking others to give something to me. I hope that I can slowly learn how to love others and help others to the most of my abilities. Instead of personal glamour and success, wouldn't it be better for us to help others, and achieve another kind of joy and contend , greater than something gained at work?
Spread our love to others (: |
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