Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
O ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
— Matthew 7:12
Love is self-givingness …
— The Science of Mind, page 478
It’s a Privilege
A woman had a stroke and went to stay with her daughter. The daughter adored her mother and considered caring for her an honor. She said, “Anything I can do to make my mother’s life more comfortable, or to ease her pain in any way, is a great privilege.”
In the Bible, Ruth, recently widowed, chose to cleave to and take care of her mother-in-law, Naomi, instead of returning to her own people. She said, “Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”
Nurses who care lovingly for their patients seem to have positive results with them. Yet, there are others who do their work resentfully, and even though they apparently give their patients the proper attention, the patients often become despondent and their conditions worsen.
A study was done in South America in an orphanage for newborn babies. Although the babies were changed and fed adequately, there was not enough time to give the children any love. The staff was too harassed … so the children began to die.
How many of us consider helping another person an honor, instead of resenting it as an obligation? The next time we aid or care for another and that person says, “Thank you! Thank you for your help,” we might smile and say to him, “It’s a privilege.”
Today I know the Truth — that I am a member of the most beautiful family in the Universe, The Family of Man! All men are my brothers, all women are my sisters, and all children are my children. Each time I do something or be something for one of my brothers or sisters or children, I silently rejoice and say, “Thank You, Father. It’s a privilege!”
