Giving of Oneself
“Where you go I will go,
where you stay I will stay.
Your people will be my people and
your God my God.”
--Ruth’s words to her mother-in-law, Ruth 1
The old, old story of Ruth and her allegiance to her mother-in-law is one of the wonderful stories about unconditional love. The work we do can be a job, but I would hope that it is more than that. I would like to believe that in life we want to make certain that people receive the best of what they need. The act of self-giving to another probably finds its deepest meaning in marriage, but it can be found in the hearts of everyone in all paths of life.
Frederick Buechner says it this way:
“By all the laws both of logic and simple arithmetic, to give yourself away in love to another (someone/something beyond self) would seem to mean that you end up with less of yourself left than you had to begin with. But the miracle is that just the reverse is true, logic and arithmetic go hang! To live not just for yourself alone but for something beyond yourself is a new way to come fully alive.”
May today be something more than work. May your day be filled with opportunities to give yourself and, in the process of giving, become more fully alive!
--Ben Keckler
06.17.09
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