The call to serve (2)
THE call to serve – out of the apex of love – has to be answered by sacrifice, suffering, and sustained struggle. Such an answer entails emptying ourselves of selfishness; it entails total selflessness in trying to promote the welfare and secure the pleasure of the person we love and the people we serve; by it we become a person totally for the other and for all others.
Being totally for the person we love or the people we serve would enable us to grow in many virtues.
These include at least the following:
Being obedient: we submit to the will of the person we love. It is for this reason that if we truly love God, we should be committed to do His will, and to obey the indications and manifestation of such a will.
Being natural in our dealing with the person we love. We present ourselves as we are, warts and all. We are simple in our dealings and transparent about our actions and intentions. We are sincere in what we say and do: when we fall, we ask for help to rise again; when we are sad, we tell forthrightly about the things that sadden us. On the other hand, we freely and generously share our joys and the reasons for our happiness.
Being optimistic and cheerful. We thank our lucky stars for the gift of love we receive in return for our love and spirit of service. We are reassured by the companionship and friendship we can count on always. We are uplifted by the understanding and support that are always on offer to us. Moreover, as in our relationship with God, we are inspired by His power and willingness to provide us with any grace and help we need (plus more).
Selflessness enables us to grow in all these virtuous characteristics; by our continuing and countless acts of service, we become more obedient and submissive to the will of the person we love (since we know that such submission is most pleasing: and what is loving other than trying to please the person we love or the people we serve). We also become natural, simple, and sincere in our dealings. In disposition and orientation, we are optimistic and cheerful. These characteristics reinforce each other; thus, the straight connection between selfless submission and obedience to the will of another as well as the cheerfulness and optimism (in part because of such submission and obedience). Furthermore, because we do not allow anything to stand be- tween us and the person we love or the people we serve (through naturalness, simplicity and sincerity), we bask in a cheerful, happy, optimistic interaction with the person we love and with everyone else.
The experience in pursuing a vision over these past five decades points to a few lessons:
The pursuit of a vision at any vision period requires the oil of love to keep our lamps burning.
That love attracts us to a higher and better reality, which we can help bring about some time in the future through work.
Work, demanding and engaging as it is, ends up improving and developing us. It helps make us better and more accomplished persons.
But the real and most sublime element of love does not lie in what we get for ourselves (our personal development). Rather, it lies in the pleasure we give to others, and the higher level of well-being with which we wish to gift the person we love or the people we serve.
But this selfless service for the pleasure and well-being of others gives us the prized wherewithal to attain our vision and to make some positive difference (no matter how seemingly insignificant) in the world about us.