Bishop Able Muzore tells of a critical period in his life when he had been asked by his people to lead the African National Council. He knew that all previous leaders in Rhodesia who had criticized government policies that were unjust to Black Rhodesians had been either deported from the country, put in a restricted camp, or killed.

He struggled with his decision and prayed as he had never prayed before. He did not want to be killed or deported or placed in a restricted camp, yet his people were calling him to lead them. As he struggled with his decision, a friend handed him this poem:

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered – love them anyway!

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives – do good anyway!

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies – succeed anyway!

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow – do good anyway!

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable – be honest and frank anyway!

The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds – think big anyway!

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs – fight for some underdog anyway!

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight – build anyway!

People really need help by may attack you if you help them – help people anyway!

Give the world the best you’ve got and you’ll get kicked in the teeth – give the world the best you’ve got anyway!

Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances dictate.

(Presented by pastor Skip Bell in the BSSDA service on June 1998) 74617.2260@compuserve.com