Who We Really Are

30 May

“I’ve come to know that what we want in life is the greatest indication of who we really are.”  ~ Richard Paul Evans, The Gift

In my thirty-six years of ministry as a priest, I have come to meet many people and see the reflection of many wants and dreams expressed.  I have seen people who were grasping, people who were envious, and people who lived by avarice.  Thankfully, I have also seen people who truly cared for others, many times giving others more time and energy than they gave their own needs.

I remember once an ambulance visiting one of our diocesan grade schools.  The attendants showed the young students (kindergarten and first grade) the ambulance and all the equipment and then explained their job.  As they were talking, one of the students ran away from the group and into the school building.  Everyone thought that the student was afraid of the ambulance and went inside for safety.

As an aide was getting ready to go into the school after the student, she came back out of the building holding a stuffed animal in her hands.  She walked up to the attendants and told them that she had noticed that there were no stuffed animals in the ambulance.  She stated that, should they ever have to pick up a child, the child would be frightened and would need a stuffed animal in order to be comforted and she volunteered her stuffed animal to the ambulance crew.

Needless to say, all of us adults had tears in our eyes at this very selfless gesture.  The child’s desire to bring comfort to another in need was overwhelming.  Who would have thought that would have been her impression when she saw the ambulance.  She, apparently, was living according to a very high creed.  She was willing to let go of something precious in order to help another.

The young girl wanted to make sure a child picked up by an ambulance would be comforted.  We know what her focus was on.  What we want in life is the greatest indication of who we are.  What do people see in us?  What do they garner about our beliefs when they see us in action or hear our words?  Do they see a committed believer in Jesus Christ or do they see a grasping, worldly person?

What you would hope they see is the kind of person you should aspire to be.

FAITH ACTION:  By the manner in which you live your life today, let the world see that you believe in Jesus Christ.