As you may know if you have been reading this blog for a while, I care deeply about being of service and making an impact on the world. I believe that we all have the responsibility to make the world a better place and leave a positive legacy. But sometimes this pressure to make a difference becomes overwhelming - where do we start and what do we really have to contribute? I recently re-discovered this prayer of St. Francis on service, and have recently been using it to guide my actions.
Peace Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.