No Withdrawing from the World
Back to Intimate Letters on Personal Problems
Dear friend,
It is my belief that Christ wants us to take our place in life in the most natural way, and to do our work right among people, in our natural relations, or in the particular lines into which he may call us. You remember that Jesus, in his last prayer with his disciples, recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John, did not ask to have his disciples taken out of the world,away from the world's dangers, evils and experiences — but that they might stay in the world and be kept from its evil. Personally I have no sympathy with the monastic life, because it seems to me that it violates that particular thought of the Master for his followers and friends.
To put it more simply, you are a bright, happy girl, you love people, and people love you. You have already had enough experiences to show that you may have a tremendous influence over people. Your personality is strong. People take to you and like you, and are ready to follow you and let the influence of your life into their inner lives. What you have learned of life already in the past is sufficient proof to you of this. You do not know how much good you can do in the world, by just letting your light shine on other people 's lives, allowing your life to go out to those who need sympathy, kindness, protection, and whatever is good and beautiful.
God holds us responsible for the very best that we can do in helping on the kingdom of Christ, that is, in making others better, in helping others over hard ways. You remember that Christ himself lived this kind of life. John the Baptist was an ascetic, and lived in the wilderness away from people, and then came out and spoke his words which touched people's hearts and transformed their lives. But when Jesus came, he lived differently. He never hid himself away from people.
He never became a recluse. He went everywhere, even to the homes of Pharisees who disliked him, and of publicans and sinners, who were branded as outcasts. He refused no opportunities of being helpful in personal ways. To him, the worldwas simply a field in which he might do good. In every person he met he saw someone whom he longed to help in some way, and to whom he gave out the best he had of love, sympathy, cheer, comfort. When people followed him into his seclusion, even when he was seeking to be alone with God, he never became impatient. The man who wanted to see him — was the man he wanted to see. The person who was hungry or was weary, sad, ignorant, unhelped, sinful — was just the person he wanted to touch and help and lift up.
You get my thought. Christ's idea of a beautiful life is one spent as he spent his — among people, among needy people, among sad and lost people, helping them upward. This is the life to which I would like to see you devote yourself. If you withdraw from the world and take up a monastic life, you will have opportunities in certain ways, of doing good — but a large part of your time will be spent in personal devotions, seeking the purifying of your own life. This is all very beautiful — but it does not seem to me to fulfil the Master's purpose for you.
There are some people who cannot help others in personal ways. Because of shyness or other physical conditions they cannot be of great use to people. It may be that for these — the quiet, secluded life is best. But you are not a girl of this kind. You have splendid abilities for personal helpfulness. I would love to see you put your whole life into the work of Christ among girls.
Back to Intimate Letters on Personal Problems