Charity begins at home

Speaking from personal experience, one of the hardest things to do is to forgive and at the same time offer a charitable gesture to those who not only have deliberately hurt us but continue to do so. It is human nature to be reciprocal and vengeful. Trust me when I tell you that I've bitten my tongue many times when dealing with them, but still move forward in doing the right thing. (Note: The charitable action I am referring to is not giving money to a church, donating your time to a worthy cause, but offering assistance or support to someone who needs it at that particular time).

I've spoken about being charitable and unselfish in this blog before in that some folks do it to boast how caring they can be or they want others to be subservient to their actions. That's not the kind of charity that I am referring to. Charity and unselfishness comes from the heart. It is doing the right thing when nobody is watching. No fanfare! Just do it! - like the Nike commercial. Even when the recipient spits on your face, you attitude must not change. I know some would argue that it is difficult to turn the other cheek, but lets think for a second about the mutual benefit that your actions will have:

Your spirituality will grow exponentially. You will learn that very few things "can get to you" and very few people (if any) can control how you react or feel about certain things. You are now on the path to enlightenment. Your ego will interject and offer an opinion that (1) you must retaliate, (2) get even, (3) screw him, or worst (4) kill him. I hate to point this out but your ego is your own worst enemy. Keep listening to him/her and you will end up worst than when you started. The only way to grow is by taking the right path that leads to compassion, love, charity, and understanding, and putting your ego in the bottom drawer for ever!

How is the other person benefiting? Everything we do in life has a price; whether we pay it in this lifetime or the next. Lets say that whatever you did for this person is ignored and discarded during his entire life. At some point, he will have to "face the music" and your song will be at the top of the charts. What if he realizes that his actions caused pain, anguish, and discomfort to you and others? What if he changes in a way that now he can be on the path to enlightenment just like you did? Was your sacrifice worth it? Your ego will come out of the drawer and yell "you are an idiot for acting like this.....blah, blah, blah."

Are you?