Mama T, your friend and mine

so there i was looking through some old documents on my computer, and i found an article i wrote several months ago for Radiant magazine about mother theresa, one of my heroes. and i decided to share it with the blog world!







"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."
-Mother Theresa

The name of Mother Theresa has always been familiar to me. I knew she was a do-gooder and a giving follower of God, but knew nothing beyond that. I began wondering, "Who is this woman, what did she do, and why did she do it? Upon digging deeper into her history, life, and ministry, I found myself inspired, forever changed, and challenged by Mother Theresa.

A native of Macedonia, Mother Theresa grew up under the anointing of God. From the age of 12, she felt the call of God on her life, believing the best way to spread the love of Christ was to give her life to full-time mission work. At the age of 17 she responded to God's call on her life and thus began the journey that would forever change the course of her life and the world. Initially, Mother Theresa joined a convent of nuns where she was a teacher, however, the poverty stricken slums of Calcutta were calling her name. So, in faith, she devoted her life to helping the poor and needy by starting a school whose students would be the children of the slums she served among. This extraordinary woman lived amongst the "poorest of the poor." She knew she must be about her Father's business and He specialized in loving and serving the poor and needy. She shared her Father's heart for the impoverished and gave her life to this mission.

And so, with children hanging from every limb and sweat pouring from every pore, Mother Theresa worked tirelessly serving the desperate and desolate of Calcutta.

Ask Jesus what He would be doing on earth today. His answer will most likely include loving and providing for the poor and afflicted. After all, it was Jesus Himself who said that it wasn't the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. With every ounce of energy, Mother Theresa had a clear resolve and she would stop at nothing to make sure she was fulfilling the greatest commandments to love God and love people.

Studying her life transformed me. Jesus Christ was so evident in her life that in learning about her I happily experienced Him. Her heart was completely in line with that of the heart of the One we read about in the Gospels. It was Jesus who went out into the streets and healed, encouraged, and loved on people who had nothing. It was Jesus who showed the love of His Father by feeding 5000+ with a child's lunch. And it was Jesus who gave His life so that we might be saved. God has used and continues to use Mother Theresa's life to bring Him glory. Her life's song is still heard round the world today.

I would be remiss to leave out this life-changing quote from my newfound hero, Mother Theresa, "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love." Wow. Talk about a brain-teaser. This is completely contrary to what the world is telling us to do and convincing us to be. In today's culture we are told that life is all about us and that we should strive to be great no matter what the cost. Truth is, we were never meant to be great. We were created to make God great, to glorify Him with our lives and enjoy Him forever. If we, as Christians, could grab a hold of this idea and sink our teeth into it, our lives and the lives of those around us would be forever changed. Mother Theresa's life is a direct reflection of God's heart for humanity, which is beating and gushing with love. I am so thankful for her example that alters my life and ministry. Now my focus is on loving greatly though the smallest of things.

Residing here in the comfortable USA makes it easy to turn a deaf ear and blind eye to suffering. God has not called all of us to the slums of India, but we are all called to work and love like Jesus. The human heart can be the dirtiest slum of all. Mother Theresa's life brings a challenge to go into the nearest slum. We can bring love to the impoverished of heart and soul amongst this lavish waste-land where money is primarily plentiful and material need is a stranger. We too can leave people changed and happier by spreading love and by following the example of this woman who walked and loved like Jesus. She has made His way clearer. Look closely. Those dear, worn feet of peace can still be traced clearly in His steps.

written by: Lindsey Kane
edited by: Jennie Riddle
copyright 2007