Service Wounds

 Just because you decide to be helpful and of service to others does not mean that you won’t be wounded.  Recently, I cooked my first Mexican type dinner for the monks.  I like to do things from scratch as much as possible.  I did not serve refried beans from a can.  I made them myself, as well as the guacamole.  After the meal, one of the monks said, “Those beans were really good.  Did you make them from a can?’  My first thought, was that this monk is a savage.  The second thought is why do I bother serving these worthless people?  I wanted praise for my pain-staking efforts.  Then I remembered that service is to make me a better person, not to change others, be they savages or not.  Being judgmental undoes the purpose of my cooking.  I am God’s recipe being painstakingly transformed into food for others.  Judgment is not one of the ingredients.