Selflessness

The message behind the parable of the workers in the vineyard can often be difficult to appreciate. The workers who arrive at the eleventh hour receive the same payment as those who have worked all day.

I am sure there are many of us who have taught pupils who have worked like Trojans throughout the year. Then a pupil who does not normally put any effort in, suddenly has a change of motivation. We praise that pupil. And as a result, the other pupil feels a great sense of injustice. However, we recognise that our praise is not restricted for certain pupils; it is open to everyone.

This is the same with our faith. If someone complains or grumbles because someone else didn’t come to saving faith until late in life, then they truly don’t understand the grace of God. Everyone who is saved should be eternally grateful for the grace of God that spared them; even if it was early in life. We should rejoice as heaven does when one sinner, no matter what time that is, comes to saving faith.

Selflessness involves “putting someone else’s needs before your own”. Rejoicing when somebody succeeds, or ensuring they are well and looked after are good ways of demonstrating this act. I am sure we all remember Captain Tom Moore, the man who walked 100 laps of his garden before his 100^th birthday; raising over £39 million for NHS Charities Together.

Some of us might be familiar with Sir Nicholas Winton. Often dubbed ‘Britain’s Schindler’, Winton rescued 669 children, most of them Jewish, from Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II. He found homes for the children and arranged for their safe passage to Britain. Here is a video of the immense gratitude he received for this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_nFuJAF5F0

Those children, who are now adults, and the families that they have established, will be eternally grateful for the selfless act of Sir Nicholas Winton.

This week, make time to have a conversation with someone who you do not normally get a chance to speak to. I am sure we can all appreciate how busy life currently is. Particularly when we are required to move classrooms every lesson as we navigate the new Covid normal. Though this is exactly why the gift of time is one of the most precious gifts you can currently give someone.