Seeing Every Task as an Assignment From God
Ultimately it is possible to see every situation as something conceived by God to teach you something and help you grow. In this sense life is actually “all about you” – all about you and God, that is. For while we’ve seen that thinking “it’s all about you” is a grave mistake, as we develop a relationship with God and see Him at work in our lives, we can see His loving hand in every circumstance.
Sometimes this doesn’t happen right away. As I was working on this book I wound up accidentally erasing four months’ of work. At the time I was upset, but I utilized a number of the paths to humility found in this book and several that are to appear in the next book on accepting what we don’t like about life. Then, after I rewrote the section that I’d lost, I realized the rewrite was much better than what I had before. God had just been acting as a good editor!
Mother Teresa adapted a version of a poem originally written by Kent M Keith called “Do It Anyway.” The gist of the poem is that people may treat you badly even if you do good, but you should do good anyway because ultimately, everything is between you and God. So while the title of this book is It’s Not All About You! in essence it IS all about you and God — as every situation, every encounter is brought about by God to teach us something. The following is Kent M. Keith’s poem.
Do It Anyway
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.
Exercise: Try to look at the circumstances in your life as divinely ordered for your spiritual growth. Seek to understand what God is teaching you through the people and situations He puts in your path.