40 Days of Feasting: On Doing it Anyway

They say you learn something new every day.
I was about to blog about the 'Do It Anyway' Poem.

 
People are often unreasonable, irrational, 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 unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. 
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. 
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. 
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. 
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. 
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. 
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. 
It was never between you and them anyway.
____________________________

And I was going to attribute it to Mother Teresa
She wrote it
Right?

Wrong!
But I'd always thought that too.
She had it on her wall in Calcutta
And it's usually attributed to her.

But today I discovered this:

The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
  1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
    Love them anyway.
  2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
    Do good anyway.
  3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
    Succeed anyway.
  4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
    Do good anyway.
  5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
    Be honest and frank anyway.
  6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
    Think big anyway.
  7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
    Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
  8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
    Build anyway.
  9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
    Help people anyway.
  10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
    Give the world the best you have anyway.

And actually it fits in really well with my thinking.

I was going to tell you that I try and live by the 'Do it anyway' guidelines.
I may be misunderstood
moaned at
or feel side-lined
but I should do it anyway.

It's not about me.
It's about Him.

But sometimes I get fed up of being misunderstood, moaned at and side-lined.
It upsets me.
It makes me angry and frustrated inside.
But all the while I know that sometimes life's like that.
Especially for followers of Jesus.

And sometimes I feel like Peter in the Bible
"How many times?"
Isn't it enough by now?
Really?
I have to forgive?
Again?

Yeah I know.
I don't have to hold it all inside.
The Healer waits to take it from me.

But with every healing there is a scar.
And sometimes the scar really itches!

So I guess my point is this:
Doing it Anyway is difficult.
Sometimes impossible.
It's filled with 'oughts' and 'shoulds'.

But I forget, that if I am loved unconditionally,
then so are the people who misunderstand, moan and side-line me.

And one final thought
Mother Teresa seems to have based her poem on Dr Keith's work.
She has re-written it slightly and made it more spiritual.
But I wonder how he feels about it?
Does he rejoice that it is more widely known than he could ever envisage?
Or is he a bit miffed that someone else gets the glory?

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. 
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. 
It was never between you and them anyway.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

20 years of ministry

I hadn't realised it myself. I'm not very good with dates, and years, and anniversaries. But yesterday my Facebook Timeline was full of it. It's 20 years since we were commissioned and ordained. 28th May 1993 at The Royal Albert Hall, London. As I listened to 'Our Songs' The ones written for us, and for the occasion I became a bit nostalgic. As I looked at the video And saw my friends and colleagues I almost felt a pang of grief For the people we were The things we shared. But this is a letter to the 25 yr old girl I was then From the woman I am now "You made it! By the skin of your teeth at times but you got there in the end. And this ending Full of brass, and drums, and singing and laughter and drama and dance is just the beginning. In the years ahead you will know joy Real joy Laughing so hard no sound comes out. Friendships that are only in their infancy here Will become your anchor in the days ahead. And people that
Read more

Five Minute Friday: Song

Image
It's our Silver Wedding Anniversary on Tuesday. 25 years. I told someone the other day and she gasped, and said, "You don't look old enough" Which is absolutely the right response. We're having a few friends over next Friday night to celebrate. There will be food And dancing And fun And song. 'Our song' to be precise. As we met in the 80's, Our song is 'Solid' (Ashford and Simpson). It's the song we used to dance to at parties. It's the song that made us laugh. It's the song we always talk about when reminiscing. Our 25 years together hasn't been perfect You won't be surprised to hear that. There has been much joyful song. But sometimes the notes have turned dischordant. Sometimes we've sung in a minor key. More recently we have sung songs of lament. But to mis-quote Gloria Gaynor We have survived. We're still standing (Elton John) And we're still singing from the same hymn
Read more

Five Minute Friday: Friend

Five minute Friday. Write. Don't check, or edit, just write for the pure love of it. The prompt is FRIEND I had a card from a friend today. We started as colleagues. Our paths crossed a few times. But over the past year she has become a friend. And as a friend She knew what this weekend meant for us. She remembered. She acted. But friends are all different aren't they? Over the past 12 months our friends have been: Some practical Some ever-present Some prayerful Some encouraging Some business as usual Some helpless Some distant And sadly, some very noticeable by their absence. I don't blame them It's not been easy to be our friend this year. But I thank God for all of them And pray that the absent ones are not gone forever. I'm also challenged. "If you want a friend, be a friend" The saying goes. I pray my friends will always know where to come. And if not, that I'll meet them where they are. And when I fail as a f
Read more