2 + 2 = 5

Some people are afraid to help; afraid to give, and volunteer. They are afraid for one simple reason: They think that they will get nothing in return for their hard work. They theorize that their hard work would go without reward, but the blemish in their theory is that they are incorrect. Applying selflessness in your life sets the bar high for your friends, peers, and observers for them to strive to attain. This will turn you into a person that people will admire and respect for generations.

Born in 1839, and chairman of Standard Oil Company, John D. Rockefeller, gave a large amount of his money to charity. Since his first paycheck, he tithed to his church, and with his approx. net worth being $318.3 billion he demonstrated his great heart for giving. After 1911, Standard Oil Company was no more. Instead of running his monopoly, he retired and devoted to his life earnings to philanthropy. His contributions impacted the medicinal, educational, and scientific worlds.

Rockefeller is not the only person who can fit into this category. Others gave more than just their money. Martin Luther King, Jr. will not only get respect from the people of his color, but also from those who wish that they had the courage and the selflessness to do what he achieved. He is most know for fighting for Civil Rights. He, in the end, gave his life for the cause when he was assassinated by James Earl Ray in April, 1968, while King was staying at his favorite hotel. Ray confessed in March of 1969, and was convicted to 99 years in prison for the assassination of a public figure especially one so very close to American hearts. King gave his life to preserve equal rights for all men. He gave his all for the better of all Americans.

I try to show selflessness in my own life. I spend a lot of weekends at the church. I volunteer in the nursery at the church, and teach children’s church as well. I play in the worship band for the youth group. I travel around with my friends from church and minister to other churches. I enjoy spending my time helping others.

As I said earlier, practicing selflessness in your life doesn’t go without reward. The bible says in Luke 6:38, “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving – large or small – it will be used to measure what is given back to you.” When some people think of volunteering, they think, “A lot of work and no pay,” but they are wrong. When you give anything, large or small, it will be given back to you, but even more. That’s just how it works. The reward for selflessness will be greater than the amount put into it. Let’ s make the world a better place by setting the precedent of good character.