(Audio only version)

Marie T. Russell's Daily Inspiration

The focus for today is:  It is in giving that I receive.

The following is taken from Joyce and Barry Vissell's book, The Shared Heart:

In our spiritual quest, we can become very selfish, thinking only of our own growth... We fail time after time to realize, as Saint Francis says, "It is in giving that we receive."

We selfishly want liberation, or enlightenment, or love, but the only way to get these is to sacrifice our desires for them by helping the "strangers on the steps below us."

In her book, Initiation, Elizabeth Haich describes how during one of her initiations she got to a step that was impossibly high. She saw no way to mount it. It seemed hopeless. She then noticed someone else near her trying to scale the same steps. She forgot herself for a moment and helped the stranger up the steps. Imagine her surprise when she discovered she was at the top! The helping of another lifted her up without her even knowing it.

Today's Focus was inspired by the InnerSelf.com article:

Becoming Parents: A Path to Transformation
Written by Barry and Joyce Vissell

Read the original article...

This is Marie T. Russell, publisher of InnerSelf, wishing you a day of helping others (today and every day)

Join me again tomorrow for the Daily Inspiration and focus of the day.

Today, we remember that it is in giving that we receive.

About The Author

Marie T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also produced and hosted a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from 1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our own inner source of joy and creativity.

Creative Commons 3.0: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. Attribute the author: Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com. Link back to the article: This article originally appeared on InnerSelf.com