Selflessness

Yes, we've come to the fourth quality of an Uncommonly Beautiful person -
Selflessness.

There's a difference between
Feeling compelled to serve
&
Choosing to serve.

Selflessness chooses to serve,
As it stands in a position of strength.
Selflessness is not being a doormat to people,
Because she is weak and insecure.

I think we must have a
Strong sense of self,
In order to be selfless.
When you have a strong sense of yourself;
You know who you belong to (and that is, to the right Person),
You will want to give to others,
Instead of wanting to get from others.

You sure've heard this quote,
'You can give without loving,
But you cannot love without giving.'
I just found out the person who said this was
Amy Carmichael,
A woman with Uncommon Beauty.

Despite Amy's physical illness,
She actively practiced her calling;
Rescuing children from sex trafficking-
Not an easy job for the weak.

When Amy learned how the young Indian girls
Were brought to Hindu temples and forced to prostituition for the priests' pockets,
She opened the Dohnavur Fellowship as a sanctuary for the girls,
Whom she devoted her life to love and care for.

Amy's sacrifice was a great price.
The work exhausted her body and often threatened her life.
People criticized her, saying that she was only a babysitter.
So be it, Amy thought.
If I can spare the lives of these precious children,
I will be a nursemaid.

Amy never tried to make a name for herself.
Although Amy never married, she was never alone.
She carried with her a promise from God,
''None of them that trust in Him shall be desolate.'

Amy lived not for herself, but for others.
A verse that she asked others to pray for her was,
He 'made Himself of no reputation,
And took upon him the form of a servant.''
Her prayer was
''...that I may get down to the bottom of that verse.'

How virtuous she is!

She must have received so much from God,
That she could go beyong the knowledge of a problem in India,
And solve it with wisdom and
Genuine love.
It doesn't pain her to give at all, as you can see.
That's because she's received so much everyday,
She just had to keep giving the overflowing love away.

Amy's confident in who she was
And that's why she could wholeheartedly give herself.
In fact,
She could give beyond herself,
Because she relied on a Greater Person.
She gave herself as an instrument,
And trusted her Source to supply her all she needs to fulfill the vision and passion
the Director of her life
Had put in her heart.

So if I want to be a selfless person,
I cannot afford to neglect my well-being.

I need to nourish myself,
Before I can nourish others.

I do need to care about my health,
My family,
My responsibilities.

And as I do these,
I can still give.

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I find life an exciting business,
And most exciting when it is lived for others.
Helen Keller

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