Wise Words from Blessed Mother Teresa

When my oldest son gave his high school valedictory speech in 2002, he included this quote from Mother Teresa of Calcutta: "God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful."  What a perfect pearl of wisdom to pass on to a large group of young people who were getting ready to set out on their own and make their mark in the world!  It's so true that we must all try to succeed at our endeavors--we must always give 100 percent, using the gifts God has given us as well as we possibly can; but the way in which the world will measure our success is very different than the way God will measure it.

I must keep these wise words spoken by that saintly woman in mind as I struggle with insecurities about my recently published novel, Finding Grace, seeing only the tiny editing mistakes I didn't catch when I OK'd the final galley of the manuscript before the book went to print.  My pride has made me focus on those relatively insignificant details--the ones by which the world will judge the quality of my writing--instead of on the only important question, which is this: did I give glory to God through my work?  I truly tried to do that, and did it to the best of my admittedly limited abilities; if that effort is pleasing in His eyes, then I must remind myself that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of the book.

Blessed Mother Teresa spent her life in selfless service to those in need, and she is on the road to becoming a canonized saint.  We can all learn from the example of this holy woman.  Here is a very inspiring poem she wrote, one that provides advice that will not only make us more faithful (and therefore "successful" in the eyes of God), but happier, too.

(Click to enlarge for easier reading.)

I hope you're enjoying a happy and holy Sabbath day!