Dr. BJ Condrey

Recently, I finished reading a short book by Mother Teresa titled Do Something Beautiful for God. It features a quote from her for each day of the year. While I normally loathe this type of arrangement, I was in the mood for it a few weeks back. I read one month per day, and it proved to be both challenging and deeply thought-provoking—often convicting in the best way.

Mother Teresa (1910–1997) was an Albanian-born Roman Catholic nun who devoted her life to serving the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India. She founded the Missionaries of Charity, an order dedicated to caring for those who were sick, dying, or destitute, seeing in each person the image of Christ. Her extraordinary compassion and humility earned her global recognition, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, and she was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016.

Several quotes stood out to me, and I spent ample time reflecting on them. One in particular stopped me in my tracks, and I can’t seem to get it out of my mind: “Your true character is most accurately measured by how you treat those who can do nothing for you.””

This has “Jesus” written all over it. Within a day or so, I found that it was in the back of my mind when I spoke to different individuals, some strangers.

What can they do for me in this moment? Nothing.

What good are they to me in one or more of my ambitious pursuits? None.

What would Daddy God have me do in light of his Son? Love them as if everything good in my life depended on it.

Over the next few weeks, I will take time to share another quote or two. I keep revisiting the book, and I pray that the Holy Spirit would work mightily in our hearts to make us more like Christ, which essentially means to love more like Christ.

God, grace us to embody and express your love.