GIVE UNTIL IT HURTS!

But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”  Then Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son, 1 Kings 17:12-13 (HCSB)

The speech of Mother Teresa to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC on February 3, 1994 was entitled “Whatsoever You Do”. However, the speech contained the phrase “Give until it hurts” nine times.  The following is an excerpt from the beginning of the speech…

“Jesus gave His life to love us and He tells us that we also have to give whatever it takes to do good to one another. And in the Gospel Jesus says very clearly: “Love as I have loved you.” Jesus died on the Cross because that is what it took for Him to do good to us – to save us from our selfishness in sin. He gave up everything to do the Father’s will to show us that we too must be willing to give up everything to do God’s will – to love one another as He loves each of us. If we are not willing to give whatever it takes to do good to one another, sin is still in us. That is why we too must give to each other until it hurts.

It is not enough for us to say: “I love God,” but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don’t love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.”

What would your world, the place where you live and play, look like it love rule in the hearts for everyone. Not the selfish, superficial kind of love that seems to be so prevalent in our world today. You know what I mean. The love that says I will love you forever as long as… I never realized that forever could be so short! Moreover, that is not love; that is a contract.

God has created us for more than that. He loves us and His love was fully demonstrated by His Son Jesus Christ who willing “gave unit it hurt” so that we might know the salvation that comes only through Him! This type of giving, this type of living is selfless.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

My life is truly in Your hands to do with what You will. I know that I was made in Your image and that is good. However, I have rebelled sought to live out my life in self-serving ways. Please forgive me. Help me to learn the blessing of giving. May I give myself to You and to others in selfless acts of service. Help me to truly love others in Jesus Name, Amen.