Each of us is guided by some force in our life. We all have something that we desire, something that motivates us and drives us. And typically it is this driving force that explains why we do the things we do and say the things we say.For those who are Christians, the overriding guiding force in life is love. Being a Christian is much more about doing good things than it is about avoiding bad things. It is about embracing life with an attitude of love and hope towards God and towards each other.
No matter what our profession is, whether a teacher, a home-maker, a lawyer or a laborer, what matters is the spirit of love that we express towards each other in all that we do. No matter what our duties or responsibilities are in our workplace, our home or elsewhere, our first duty and our first responsibility is to act out of love.
In a book entitled “Wounded by Love”, Elder Porphyrios, a Monk from Mt. Athos, illustrates this point. He tells a story of a Hermit, who had two monks under his guidance, and while he did his best to teach them, he was unsure of their spiritual growth. And he looked for some sign from God about this, but he received no answer. One day there was to be a vigil service in a church that was many hours away from where they were. And they would have to walk across the desert to get there.
The Hermit sent the two monks off early in the morning so that they could help prepare the church, and he planned to follow later in the afternoon. So the monks went on their way and as traveled they came upon a place where they heard a groaning noise. There they found a man badly hurt, crying out for help. The two monks came to him and told him that they could not help him because they were in a hurry to get to the church to help prepare it for the service that was to take place. They said that they must be obedient to what they were told to do, and so they left him. Some time later that afternoon, the hermit began his journey to the church and on his way he too came upon this man. The hermit asked him how long he had been lying there and did he not see anyone come by that could help him? The man replied that two monks had passed by but said that they were in a hurry and could not help. The hermit said to him, do not worry, I will carry you to the village. But the injured man said how can you do this, you are old and you will not be able to lift me. The hermit replied, do not worry, I will manage, even if it takes me two days. With great difficulty, the hermit put the man upon his back and began walking in the sand. As he walked sweat was pouring from him and he thought to himself that it may take three days to get to the village, but he was determined. However, as he continued on his way, he began to feel his burden getting lighter and lighter until he felt that he was carrying nothing at all. When he turned around to see what was happening, he was astonished to find an angel upon his back. And the angel said to him, God sent me to inform you that your two monks are not worthy of the kingdom of God, because they do not have love.
What the monks didn’t understand was that while it is important and it is good to be obedient, the greatest obedience should be to love.Our responsibility to love overrides all other responsibilities that we may have in this life.
God has given us free will to determine for ourselves how we will live our lives. From time to time, we might ask ourselves how much value we place on love and how much we allow it to be the guiding force in our own lives.
Ref:examiner
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