What Greater Love

70 million people died during the years of World War II. This was a tough time for every country. The fight for freedom, justice, love, money, and power left no prisoners.

In the midst of so much pain, there were models of faith. One such model was born January 8^th, 1894. Raymond Kolbe grew up to be a Franciscan Friar and joyful lover of our Blessed Mother from of a vision he had as a child. In 1910 he took the name of Maximilian and built a friary near Warsaw, beginning his Immaculata Movement. This movement was furthered in Japan and India, bringing the love of Mary and Jesus wherever it went. Kolbe even published a pamphlet read by more than 800 friars around the world.

Soon after Kolbe returned home due to sickness, he became a prisoner of the German’s largest concentration network; Auschwitz. At this camp there was a very strict law in place for any people that escaped. If anyone ever found freedom then ten prisoners at random would be chosen to be put to death as an example in order to discourage other escapes. During Kolbe’s time in Auschwitz, he spent his time moving about the cells giving aid and reconciliation to anyone who wanted it. Kolbe was a true example of a servant-leader in the name of Jesus Christ.

In July of 1941 somebody escaped the Auschwitz camp, so as rules dictated; ten prisoners were chosen at random to be put to death in the starvation room. But in August of 1941, Franciszek Gajowniczek, prisoner of Auschwitz, was spared his life by a stranger.

“My poor wife! My poor children! What will they do?” cried Gajowniczek. At this time Kolbe stepped forward to the commandant giving orders and requested to replace Gajowniczek in the starvation bunkers. Since the concentration camps required the labor of young men, the commandant agreed to Kolbe’s request and threw him and nine others into the starvation bunkers for two weeks.

While in the starvation bunkers, Kolbe continued to encourage his fellow prisoners to keep faith in God and look forward to heaven. As the days came to an end, Kolbe was injected with a lethal shot because his strong faith in Jesus had kept him alive.

Let it be known that on August 14, 1941, Maximilian Kolbe died a martyr of charity. Forty one years later, Pope John Paul II declared Kolbe a saint, with Gajowniczek in attendance. As patron saint of drug addicts, political prisoners, and the pro-life movement, St. Maximilian Kolbe continues today to be an outstanding example to all young men in living a self-sacrificial life that Jesus calls us all to.

I personally kept a small image of Kolbe in my wallet to remind me daily what it takes to be a man of Christ. John 15:13 speaks, “Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Perseverance

            Do you think that it was easy for Mother Teresa to care and love for the people of the lowest, sickest, and weakest classes? Mahatmas Gandhi, the Indian freedom fighter of the 20^th century experienced terrible setbacks on his mission to achieve a British-free country. Martin Luther King Jr. lived in a tough time of racial inequality but he persevered and fought for the civil rights of all mankind. In this first blog of mine I want to express to everybody that no matter how impossible a dream may seem, achievements will be completed with perseverance.

            What is success? Success is known by most people as the attainment of an honor, grade, position, or wealth. Some people will say that Michael Phelps and Chris Hoy, the most decorated Olympians of the United States and Great Britain, have captured this popular definition of success. It is true that they have persevered through a myriad amount of training and captured unforgettable memories and fame for themselves and their respectful nation, but success doesn’t solely lay in athletics. Success, for them, is achieving their goals which were independently set by themselves, when the decision to attend the 2012 Olympics in London was made. This was their goal. This was their dream. They fought and they achieved their dream. That is success.

Others may call the rich CEOs of Apple, Forbes, GM, and other large organizations successful. Yes, they have worked to that position, but it is not holding that position that makes them successful. It is the hard work, the dream, and perseverance that have made them successful.

            Throughout my life I have been involved in many leadership organizations, attended leadership conferences, and had independent leadership training. From these experiences I have come to my own definition of the word success which I hope you all will understand by the end of this post.

In order to understand my own perception of the term success, I need to explain to you what our society defines as success. Unfortunately, success has become limited to those people who have millions of dollars, large mansions, and coverage in the news and movies. When a child is growing up surrounded by this limited and misleading term of the word success, it can really mess them up. Imagine how difficult it would be to achieve success in the society’s definition if you were not born into it. It is not fair.

What I have learned in my own time is that success can be anything you set your mind to. I do not want to discourage anybody that wants to achieve a rich and comfortable life because that is your goal, but I want to let everybody know that success is not limited to that one lifestyle.

The most important weapon in your arsenal to success is perseverance. Without it, the difficult challenges and adversity would quickly overcome your motivation. Perseverance is critical in continuing on the journey to achieve your goal. You can be successful and live a life worth remembering; and it is simple! All you have to do is remember your values, practice integrity, love others, and persevere! I cannot stress this enough; it happens so often that people will give up on their dreams to become astronauts, travel the world, set a record, or become a musician because a few people tell them that they aren’t strong enough to do it. This is where a strong level of maturity needs to be displayed. Individuals on this earth have the unique ability to believe in something greater than ourselves. Imagine the great things we are capable of when we persevere and never surrender!

Success does not have to be richness. Success does not have to be popularity. Success is the achievement of your individual goals.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”