What All The World's A-Seeking: The Vital Law of True Life, True Greatness Power and HappinessTrine, Ralph Waldo
Religion
What All The World's A-Seeking: The Vital Law of True Life, True Greatness Power and Happiness
Trine, Ralph Waldo
Character; Christian life; Conduct of life
And a word here in regard to the test of true love and service, in
distinction from its semblance for show or for vain glory. The test of
the true is this: that it goes about and does its good work, it never
says anything about it, but lets others do the saying. It not only says
nothing about it, but more, it has no desire to have it known; and, the
truer it is, the greater the desire to have it unknown save to God and
its own true self. In other words, it is not sicklied o'er with a
semi-insane desire for notoriety or vainglory, and hence never weakens
itself nor harasses any one else by lengthy recitals of its good deeds.
It is not the _professional_ good-doing. It is simply living its natural
life, open-minded, open-hearted, doing each day what its hands find to
do, and in this finding its own true life and joy. And in this way it
unintentionally but irresistibly draws to itself a praise the rarest and
divinest I know of,--the praise I heard given but a day or two ago to
one who is living simply his own natural life without any conscious
effort at anything else, the praise contained in the words: And, oh, it
is beautiful, the great amount of good he does and of which the world
never hears.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote C: "According to the mythology of the Romancers, the Sangreal,
or Holy Grail, was the cup out of which Jesus partook of the Last Supper
with his disciples. It was brought into England by Joseph of Arimathea,
and remained there, an object of pilgrimage and adoration, for many
years in the keeping of his lineal descendants. It was incumbent upon
those who had charge of it to be chaste in thought, word, and deed; but,
one of the keepers having broken this condition, the Holy Grail
disappeared. From that time it was a favorite enterprise of the Knights
of Sir Arthur's court to go in search of it."--_James Russell Lowell_.]
PART V.
THE INCOMING
O dull, gray grub, unsightly and noisome, unable to roam,
Days pass, God's at work, the slow chemistry's going on,
Behold! Behold!
O brilliant, buoyant life, full winged, all the heaven's thy home!
O poor, mean man, stumbling and falling, e'en shamed by a clod.
Years pass, God's at work, spiritual awakening has come,
Behold! Behold!
O regal, royal soul, then image, now the likeness of God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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