Many feel that charity means donating money, clothes etc to the poor. No doubt this is charity, but even if we have wiped a single tear or removed a single pain - we have made a single being feel better and helped one person feel God’s Love – we have made a difference in the world.
If a man prays for his welfare, he is ordinary. If he prays for the welfare of others, he is extraordinary, but when he prays for the welfare of the whole world, he is divine. So, when we think more about others rather than of ourselves, God recognises us and looks after our own welfare. He says – “Who is this child of Mine who considers the good of others more important that his own? May he live a long and healthy life so that a greater number of souls can benefit from him.”
However, when good deeds are done to enhance one’s own self image, most of the good Karma drains away because the motive behind the action is selfish. God does not recognise such deeds. This is like drinking water from a tap without using a glass. When you cup your hands before a tap and drink from it directly, most of the water drains away and is wasted. When we don’t use the cup of benevolence to hold the water of charity, most of it drains away and is wasted. While performing charity, it is said that even the left hand should not know what the right hand is giving. Such should be the modest reticence of the giver.
When we begin to look for opportunities to perform service (seva), initially, we may calculate the expenditure that we incur when we engage ourselves in charitable activities. If we forget about this and just focus on the seva, things are automatically adjusted so that we can afford this expenditure and do not feel the pinch.
So, donating to the best of our ability is one aspect of charity, while the other aspect is giving a few moments of our time to those who need it. It may be lending an ear to those who are in trouble or a smile or a hug to the distressed. These acts are neither minor nor insignificant. In fact, these are the ‘small’ acts of kindness and compassion which we can practise everyday. We have been gifted with everything that we need, so is it not our duty to give at least a part of what we have got to those who are less privileged than we are?
Therefore, let us open our hearts with joy to pour forth God’s own divine love to the whole of creation
Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You
If a man prays for his welfare, he is ordinary. If he prays for the welfare of others, he is extraordinary, but when he prays for the welfare of the whole world, he is divine. So, when we think more about others rather than of ourselves, God recognises us and looks after our own welfare. He says – “Who is this child of Mine who considers the good of others more important that his own? May he live a long and healthy life so that a greater number of souls can benefit from him.”
However, when good deeds are done to enhance one’s own self image, most of the good Karma drains away because the motive behind the action is selfish. God does not recognise such deeds. This is like drinking water from a tap without using a glass. When you cup your hands before a tap and drink from it directly, most of the water drains away and is wasted. When we don’t use the cup of benevolence to hold the water of charity, most of it drains away and is wasted. While performing charity, it is said that even the left hand should not know what the right hand is giving. Such should be the modest reticence of the giver.
When we begin to look for opportunities to perform service (seva), initially, we may calculate the expenditure that we incur when we engage ourselves in charitable activities. If we forget about this and just focus on the seva, things are automatically adjusted so that we can afford this expenditure and do not feel the pinch.
So, donating to the best of our ability is one aspect of charity, while the other aspect is giving a few moments of our time to those who need it. It may be lending an ear to those who are in trouble or a smile or a hug to the distressed. These acts are neither minor nor insignificant. In fact, these are the ‘small’ acts of kindness and compassion which we can practise everyday. We have been gifted with everything that we need, so is it not our duty to give at least a part of what we have got to those who are less privileged than we are?
Therefore, let us open our hearts with joy to pour forth God’s own divine love to the whole of creation
Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You
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