heroes of the faith, part 1

Few would argue that Tiger Woods is one of the most famous and influential athletes today. He has single handedly changed the way the game of golf is played. He has a presence about him that makes his fellow competitors cower in fear. When he steps onto the golf course he goes somewhere else. People are even afraid to ask for his autograph. His focus is intense and his drive is relentless.

But is he more powerful than a nun in Calcutta? There are many stories of people who met Mother Theresa. They speak about the humility, the peaceful presence, and her eyes. Her eyes showed mercy, love, grace, and brokenness. One man, who was on death row met her and said, “vitality and warmth came from her wizened, piercing eyes.”

Mother Theresa was a holy person. She was someone in whom one could catch a glimpse of the divine realm. Her power and authority came not through domination, but she became a servant of the poor and wretched. She was concerned with those God concerned Himself most with. The poor. She once said in reference to the poor she spent her life serving, “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.”

What made this woman live like this?

After her death in 1997, many of her private journals and letters were found. Once such letter from 1942 spoke of a vow she made, about which she wrote, that she would be willing "to give to God anything that He may ask … not to refuse Him anything.” Her life spoke of her commitment to that vow.

More than her life serving the poor, the courage of this woman to make a vow like this has had a profound influence on me. Beyond the courage to make the vow, she had the faith and will to remain true to the vow and to God. Her life has caused me to ask of myself, “To what am I willing to commit? To what lengths am I willing to go for God and my faith?”

I often consider her faith and pray that mine will hold and stand the test of time like that little woman whose faith was larger than life.