Principles – The Cycle of Good – Saturday 11th of February, 2017

   We spoke in the previous articles about how we can overcome obstacles by realizing their role in improving one’s personality and energizing a person to work more to make achievements and overcome obstacles as an easy life will not make an achiever. As the British writer, Thomas Elliot, said, “A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor”. Moreover, we tackled principles’ role in overcoming obstacles. One has to honestly evaluate his deeds according to the principles and values he believes in.

   While overcoming obstacles, you should learn to pour out your heart before God asking his guidance in all your steps. You can seek advice of those who honestly can help you. Don’t try to go through all that alone as no one on earth is capable of overcoming all his obstacles on his own. Many a time do people need to listen to a good opinion or honest advice that can give them the clue to solve their problems. In return when we overcome our obstacles, we become capable of giving a helping hand to others. However, you should choose carefully the person whom you seek his advice. If others do you some good, you should not stop doing others good so that the cycle of good keeps repeating itself.

   I recall watching a short movie that showed this idea. The movie began by a grandmother, her granddaughter and grandson who went shopping and while they were walking, the girl asked her grandma to bring her a cake that she liked to have for her birthday. The grandmother had not enough money to buy that cake and apologized for the girl who was so sad. While her brother tried to soothe her, a young man heard their conversation and decided to buy the girl the birthday cake. The grandmother refused, but the boy insisted narrating his story to them that when he was a child, he wanted to buy a cake for his birthday, but his mother had no money back then. However, a man heard their conversation and bought him the cake and when his mother asked the man his phone number to pay him her debt. He gave her a scrap of paper that she thought it contained his phone number. When they went home, the boy opened it to find that it didn’t involve the man’s phone number, it rather contained a  request that when he grew up, he should give a helping hand to another person so that cycle of good would not stop going on.

   We all need others to support us and we can be able to overcome obstacles together. You should consider the support you received from a person as a debt you should pay to another person, thus cycle of good would never stop.

General Bishop

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center