Saturday, February 28
Isaiah 58:9-14. If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. If you do this, God will guide you continually…and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.
| To me, this
passage speaks to the spiritual power of looking beyond ourselves to the needs,
suffering and experiences of those around us. Putting others before self is
something many are taught to understand and practice on a surface level, perhaps
out of a sense of duty or obligation. This passage speaks to going beyond the
basic levels of selflessness to the nourishment of the soul that comes from
acting each day with others’ needs truly at heart. For me, it’s a very tangible
feeling of renewal, energy and fulfillment when I put all thoughts of self aside
and dive in to the experience and needs of another. Though it can be daunting
and sometimes even scary, the fulfillment of this kind of action is often what
makes a person feel whole. - Claire Mand, Assistant Director of Residence Life – Housing Operations |