I ran across this poem written by Mother Teresa – a precious lady who devoted her life to what she believed God called her to do – serve others.
It’s inspirational and poignant. A plea to keep your eyes on the goal and keep on keeping on!
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do:
Do It Anyway
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.
by Mother Teresa
I’d love to know what you think!
Cheryl Passel says
I have read this poem before and feel that it is a wonderful reminder on how I should live my own life. I will print a copy and hang it in an area that I won’t forget the powerful message.
Thank You!
Monica says
Thank you for your poem from Mother Theresa. I was thrilled to read this. I have always admired Mother Theresa for her selflessness and her dedication to service and love towards other people. I have never had the opportunity to read anything that she wrote, so this is a special treat for me. I love what she says in this. I am grateful that she was not only a shining example of Christ but that she also left a legacy of quotes and writings! I love that Mother Theresa was more than an altruistic, godly woman who helped those in need but that she also was a wise person who really understood the complexities and frailties of human nature. I always thought, until now, that she was a person who was so anointed to do God’s work that she somehow easily “rose above” the everyday frustrations of dealing with people who are ungrateful, unreasonable, and unkind, etc., (I actually somehow thought that she didn’t experience these frustrations at all). This helps me and encourages me to know that I am not alone in my own frustrations with myself and others as I press on to be a godly woman in my own life. I also love how she reminds us to FORGIVE…, that it is really about our relationship with God and not about getting tangled up in our emotions as we deal with others. Now I will forever have a copy of her writing. I plan on printing this out keeping it where I will see it often. Thank you for your blog. It helps me to grow and get perspective on how to look at the important issues of life. Your writings are extremely instrumental in giving me courage, showing me compassion, and pointing me back to Christ over and over again.
trekkingthru says
Thanks for the kind words. It is good to consider the struggles others have overcome… Especially those we admire so deeply. It encourages us to press on!