Point to ponder: The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights -Muhammad Ali
Reflection by Rajiv Shah:
I read that after Mother Teresa's death, her diaries were found to contain doubts about her religion, and her faith in God. There was a fear that if Mother Teresa, a saint ordained by the catholic church, had doubts about God and the meaning in her service, it would lead to questions about her sainthood.
To me, those letters confirmed that she was even more of a saint than I originally thought. My reasoning, and this is only my opinion, is that her having doubts that she was human like the rest of us but chose to continue serving in spite of her doubts. To have no doubt means the path was relatively easy and free of conflict. But when you doubt, when the path is hard, and you still are able to overcome and succeed, that is a true sign of something remarkable. Mother Teresa's letters confirmed to me that she was even more admirable because she chose to continue helping people in spite of it.
For whatever reason we like our heroes clean and without human failings. We want the path to success to be clean cut and easy to follow. It almost never is and Mother Teresa's is no different. In her quiet moments away from the news and her foundations, she doubted. She questioned the very religion and service she was exalted for. And what makes her amazing to me is that she continued to do good in spite of those doubts and fears.
It's human to question and to feel like we may not be able to accomplish a feat. It is human to doubt ourselves from time to time. It is in those times that we must conquer them on our own and face ourselves. We might not always like what we find but we must continue on.
It's very easy to remember a person's success, it's what we celebrate, but it is equally important not to forget all the hardship and work it took to get there.
Update:
This article was originally published on August 23, 2012. Since then (on September 4, 2016) Mother Teresa was declared a Saint by Vatican.
Note: Readers comments from the original publication are included and may be worth a minute of your time.