Stories For The Heart - St Teresa, The Little Flower

[Guest guest]

Think of St. Teresa, the little

flower. She lived in a convent - a life of goodness and purity and

service, and this aroused jealousy among the other sisters. Some took

advantage of her goodness. This is a common complaint. People say to

me, you speak of the spirit of forgiveness. But if we continue to

forgive, people take undue advantage. Teresa did not mind. She went a

step further. She rejoiced when some of the other inmates of the

convent took advantage of her.She went on being humiliated,

laughed at, chaffed. Some misunderstood her innocence and characterized

it as stupidity : she did not mind. She went her way : she called it

the "little way". She realized that until she had become nothing, until

she had completely emptied herself, she would not be acceptable to the

Lord. She understood that the key - the only key - to the portal of

'being' is 'not-to-be.'She wished to keep her cell clean and

tidy. In her absence, some threw dirt and dust in the cell and made it

unclean. She accepted it as God's Will : and never did a word of

complaint leave her lips.She was fond of a pretty little jug.

Someone took it away. The pretty jug was replaced by a heavy, cracked

one. "So much better," she said to herself, "I will be free from

attachment to things."One evening, she could not find her lamp

and had to go without her reading. She sat in the dark and experienced

the joy of having absolutely nothing.When she did anything for

anybody, she hated to be noticed. She willingly accepted the blame that

was due to others. She never tried to explain to her superior that

someone else was the culprit. When she was wrongly blamed for having

broken a vase, she kissed the ground and promised to be more careful.

She went out of her way to do things for a sister who was rude to her :

Teresa persevered with tireless patience until the cross-gained sister

became a devoted and gentle friend.She forgave the hurts she

did not deserve and, in her heart, there was nothing but love for those

who regarded themselves as her enemies but whom she thought of as

children of God. She walked the way of forgiveness and became a saint.

Today, she shines as a radiant star in the firmament of the world's

spiritual leaders.J. P. VASWANI(Burn Anger Before Anger Burns You - pg 64) For inspiring divine messages, texts, movies, videos, etc.,Visit : Sai Messages : http://saimessages.blogspot.com/ Sai Divine Inspirations : http://saidivineinspirations.blogspot.com/ Love Is My Form : http://loveismyform.blogspot.com/ (for non-Sai members)