Few would deny that one of the greatest spiritual leaders of our time is the beloved late Mother Teresa. She is a soul who wholly dedicated to live a life of service through expressing her heart of love. She is known to the world for her selfless work with the “poorest of the poor” in Calcutta, India. Her order, the Missionaries of Charity, have opened more than 500 centers around the world to help the dying and destitute. She is the recipient of many of the world’s most prestigious humanitarian awards like the Nobel Peace Prize.
I’ve always been inspired by her profound words of wisdom. I’ll include three of my favorites for your reflection and how they impact your spiritual growth as they have mine.
For in the silence of the heart, God speaks.
We need to open the eyes of our hearts so we can see, hear and feel God’s love and guidance for our lives. Yet when our minds are troubled and our hearts are broken we have a difficult time finding the adored silence we all crave deep within us. Mother Teresa did her work silently throughout the world. She led with her heart and let her love of God speak for what she stood for. It is in her silent heart blessings that the world showered her with accolades of praise.
I am God’s pencil.
She shared this thought as a way to look at her life was all about serving God and Jesus. I too have asked God to use me as his pencil. So when I’ve written something that sounds like it was written exactly for you to read, know that it was!! God intended for me to write this so you could read it when you were ready and when your heart was open. This is the same for me. I’m a writer and I’ve written many things in my life. Some have been good and some have been God. I can always tell the difference in how it flows and how easily it goes. It’s amazing how this can happen. When I’ve asked to be God’s pencil and to guide my words, the words are more profound and meaningful. When I try to write things on my own is when the words don’t always sound impactful or come to me as naturally. However, when God uses me to write the message he wants to get across I just go with it. I often realize the difference is when my keys are just flying off the keyboard or when my hand just writes automatically nonstop. It’s like I’m letting the flow of the Holy Spirit comes to me and then out through me.
May God give back to you in love all the love you have given and all the joy and peace you have sown around you, all over the world.
We all know that we reap what we sow in our lives. When Mother Teresa put it in terms of love and joy, it sure makes me want to spread as much as possible. How about you?
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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.
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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.