40 Days of Feasting: On Doing it Anyway

They say you learn something new every day.
I was about to blog about the 'Do It Anyway' Poem.

 
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.
____________________________

And I was going to attribute it to Mother Teresa
She wrote it
Right?

Wrong!
But I'd always thought that too.
She had it on her wall in Calcutta
And it's usually attributed to her.

But today I discovered this:

The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
  1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
    Love them anyway.
  2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
    Do good anyway.
  3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
    Succeed anyway.
  4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
    Do good anyway.
  5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
    Be honest and frank anyway.
  6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
    Think big anyway.
  7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
    Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
  8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
    Build anyway.
  9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
    Help people anyway.
  10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
    Give the world the best you have anyway.

And actually it fits in really well with my thinking.

I was going to tell you that I try and live by the 'Do it anyway' guidelines.
I may be misunderstood
moaned at
or feel side-lined
but I should do it anyway.

It's not about me.
It's about Him.

But sometimes I get fed up of being misunderstood, moaned at and side-lined.
It upsets me.
It makes me angry and frustrated inside.
But all the while I know that sometimes life's like that.
Especially for followers of Jesus.

And sometimes I feel like Peter in the Bible
"How many times?"
Isn't it enough by now?
Really?
I have to forgive?
Again?

Yeah I know.
I don't have to hold it all inside.
The Healer waits to take it from me.

But with every healing there is a scar.
And sometimes the scar really itches!

So I guess my point is this:
Doing it Anyway is difficult.
Sometimes impossible.
It's filled with 'oughts' and 'shoulds'.

But I forget, that if I am loved unconditionally,
then so are the people who misunderstand, moan and side-line me.

And one final thought
Mother Teresa seems to have based her poem on Dr Keith's work.
She has re-written it slightly and made it more spiritual.
But I wonder how he feels about it?
Does he rejoice that it is more widely known than he could ever envisage?
Or is he a bit miffed that someone else gets the glory?

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.

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