Grassland: True goodness isn’t about attracting recognition

The most inspiring people often are the ones who resist recognition until a nosy reporter comes along and blows their cover.

For example, the more I read about Pope Francis, the more he inspires me. Yet, I’m sure the pope would prefer his deeds go unrecognized. Take his nightly excursions into Rome to visit with homeless men and women. Pope Francis would prefer to be unrecognized. Yet if someone had not reported this news, I’d have one less reason to be inspired by him, one less reason to heed his words.

Perhaps I’d read a tweet by the pope like, “To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us,” (tweeted by @Pontifex on Nov. 25) and think, “How cool is it that thepope tweets?” Instead, because I feel connected to the pope through these windows into his character, I read that tweet and think, “Yes! How canI help carry the burdens of the weak and poor?”