Water color by Casandra Lopez-Garcia: Making the World a Better place. Photo credit: George Miller (cc 2.0)
We can all make the world a better place for everyone by developing our own unique talents to the fullest, becoming the best people we can be, and sharing ourselves – and what we have to offer – with other people, out of love.
Happiness, in reality, is our destiny when we choose not to fight it. As I told my patients, it’s never too late for any of us to change our course, become the Good Samaritans of today, and find the happiness we seek.
If each of us could inspire even one other person to follow our example and therefore find greater happiness through helping another person who, in turn, would do the same, and so on, and so on, and so on, the ripple-effect of our combined actions could become an unstoppable force for good.
Simply by acting with kindness and compassion, you can get that ball rolling in your part of the world. Together, we could make the world a better place. The time to start this endeavor is NOW.
Where Do We Begin? The 10 Commitments
How do I begin? With so many options, suggestions and rules, where should a person start? The place I like to focus in my own life begins with 10 Commitments that I make to myself each day. Unlike “commandments,” these aren’t rules given by any hand but mine. Instead, they’re commitments I pursue as part of my daily life’s work.
I’ve listed my own Commitments below. So now I ask you: What Commitments might you make in order to help you live a more fulfilling spiritual life? Pray, reflect, answer that question for yourself, and then follow those Commitments to the best of your ability. The results may pleasantly surprise you! I know that mine work for me.
Each day, I commit myself to the following choices:
- I give myself, without reservation, to benefit those in need. This is the basis of true love.
- I love God with all my spiritual heart, mind and soul.
- I love my neighbor as myself.
- I combine good works with love and forgiveness.
- I love and allow myself to be loved, and thereby find the meaning of life.
- I remember that happiness (the magic of love) is the peace of mind, serenity of soul and exhilaration of spirit that God gives us when we help people with a spirit of love, compassion, generosity and forgiveness.
- I “help those whom I can to know the joy of loving, of giving, and of being loved in return.” (As said by Mother Teresa.)
- I focus each day on what matters most in my life.
- I embrace each day to the fullest.
- I talk and listen attentively to God many times a day.
By following such promises to ourselves, to God, and to one another, we can make the world a better place for everyone. Imagine a world where each one of us strives to help those in need, where we all choose to assist the people who come to us for aid! Let’s start this redeeming program now, and make it our way of life from this time forward!
What Will I Do? What Will You Do?
Happiness is the treasure of human existence. All of us desire it, but few truly attain it. The opportunity to find deeper, more profound joy is as close as the next person you meet. When you see that person, will you choose to walk past… or will you choose to reach out and embrace true happiness?
Meanwhile, what about me? What will I choose to do with the remaining years of my own life? Simply put, I’ll continue to try and help those in need with love, compassion, forgiveness and sharing in my spiritual heart. Long experience has taught me that this path leads me ever-closer to God. In what time I have left on this world, I’ll continue to follow that path to the end and beyond.
I Love You!
I will continue to tell my dear wife that I love her with all my heart and soul. I’ll thank her for taking such good care of me while also being a wonderful mother, grandmother and friend.
I also realize (again, now more than ever) that my dear wife and our children and grandchildren need to hear me tell them “I love you” more often than they do. They should never have to wonder about so vital a relationship. I must remain mindful that all my actions – good and otherwise – set lifelong examples for my family. To the best of my ability, I want to set the best example possible while I can.
I shall advise married couples to love their spouses with every fiber of their being. For couples whose marriages are blessed with children, I’d say, “Look at them as precious gifts whom God has consigned to your loving care until they can be on their own.” You are God to them in their early years, founts of wisdom for them in their later years, and lifelong examples for them no matter what you do. To the best of your ability, make those examples ones you’ll be proud to recall.
Putting Love Into Action in Our Lives
Together, we can help make the world a better place. All we need is the courage and the will to put God’s love into action in our lives. The time, as I’ve said, for such decisive action is NOW. To turn back the tide of social degradation, we must open our spiritual hearts as wide as possible so that God’s love can work through each one of us and make the world a safer, healthier and happier home.
All it takes is kindness, really – a willingness to see the God in one another’s faces. It’s hard to do this if our spiritual hearts remain closed, so let’s open them as wide as we can!
© 2013 Lester R. Sauvage, MD. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Better Life Press.
Article Source
Open Your Heart to the Magic of Love: A Healer's Testament to Health, Happiness and Compassion
by Lester R. Sauvage.
Advice from a world-famous cardio surgeon who knows that the secret to a healthy, happy life can be found in a simple program of physical, mental and spiritual fitness. Filled with loving and practical advice, Open Your Heart to the Magic of Love offers guidance for physical, mental and spiritual health from a man who has lived the life he speaks of, and who wants to share its secrets with us all.
Click here for more info and/or to order this book on Amazon.
About the Author
Dr. Lester R. Sauvage, MD, is a world-famous heart surgeon, author and humanitarian. A founding member of Seattle's Hope Heart Institute, he innovated or collaborated upon dozens of surgical techniques and technologies. He was renowned for his amazing work ethic, compassionate manner, and dedication to the healing arts. Retired from surgery in 1991, he has since authored four books: The Open Heart: Secret to Happiness (1996), You Can Beat Heart Disease (2000), The Better Life Diet (2001), and now Open Your Heart to the Magic of Love.
