Happy is the man or woman whom God has blessed with a sunny disposition. It will help them get through life more easily than people who do not have this gift. They quickly win the hearts of those around them. In this regard, external beauty is not as important as character. We should make sure that our actions and words are considerate of the well-being of others. It is love that wins hearts. A person is truly beautiful when their life brings joy and happiness to others.
What qualities should we have in order to serve others in the best way? All our own efforts will be of no use if our lives are not a reflection of our Lord and Savior. Only in Him can we find all the good qualities. It was His holy life that attracted people.
First, there is kindness. Jesus always tried to help everyone. He had compassion for all, whether they were poor, rich, lame, blind, deaf, or mute. He was never too busy or too tired; indeed, He forgot about Himself in order to help others. However, He was not friendly and helpful in order to make Himself popular with people, as is often the case with humans, but His helpfulness and friendliness came from a deep compassion for a lost humanity. The kindness Jesus showed to humanity can never be repaid. All we can do is to wholeheartedly follow in His footsteps.
Closely related to kindness is the admirable attitude of being a friend to everyone. Jesus was a friend to all who approached Him. Not only that, in laying down His life, He was also a friend to those who did not understand Him, who hated and persecuted Him. Although Jesus had a small circle of close friends, His heart of love beat for all people. That is why we can never become like Him if we limit our friendships to only a few and exclude others just because we don’t like them. Jesus’ task was to have His heart of friendship open to everyone. Do we follow Him in this?
One quality that everyone appreciates is selflessness. Wasn’t our Lord and Master a perfect example? Can we detect even a spark of selfishness in Him? How about us? Isn’t selfishness often the number one thing in our lives? What does everything we are willing to sacrifice mean in comparison to the sacrifice made by the Savior? Let us make it our goal to be selfless in all things.
There were two friends who both claimed to be followers of Christ. One had a habit of putting himself first at every opportunity, while the other was content and happy to stay in the background. Which of the two was most like Jesus?
If we display the right kind of humility, we will always think of the welfare of others first. However, this must be practiced at home so it can be applied wherever we come into contact with others. Jesus thought of the welfare of others first. He should be our role model.
Let us now consider the opposite character traits that will not win us friends, but rather have the opposite effect.
First, there is unfriendliness. We say things that hurt those around us. We are cold and dismissive. We believe that no one is as good, wise, intelligent, beautiful, or capable as we are. We withdraw from our surroundings, become sullen, etc. Does this serve our fellow human beings?
Others are deeply mired in selfishness, which leads many precious souls to eternal ruin. Selfishness can never be satisfied. It holds its victim in an iron grip.
Grumbling, complaining, accusing, and condemning other people are evils that earn us the enmity of our fellow human beings and leave us without mercy.
Dear friend, we cannot fix any of this on our own. But there is someone who can help us, someone who is strong enough to heal all our faults and infirmities. It is He whose heart burned with compassion and said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden” (Matthew 11:28). It is only God’s grace that can help, transform, and reshape us so we can be a blessing on this earth.
We often hear people complain that they are not able to lead a better life because of their innate flaws. Who do they want to blame? The Creator? Don’t we all have a free will? We know from experience that people become what they strive to be! All too often we hear expressions such as: “I don’t care!” “I can’t change it!” As long as we harbor such thoughts in our minds, things will certainly not get better.
We should let go of everything that holds us back rather than moving us forward. Take courage and start a new life with God’s help. God is ready to extend His saving Hand to us. Shouldn’t we take it? What a wonderful life we could lead if we had Him by our side as Friend, Savior, and Helper!! Read the words that the Apostle Paul, commissioned by the Holy Spirit, left us in Galatians 5:22-26.
God wants to free us from our bad habits. When our hearts turn to Him in true repentance, He takes everything away and gives us the strength to be faithful from one day to the next, until our time on earth is over.
Adeline Babel
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