Lord, teach us to be generous, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will.
That prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola was something I said repetitively during my time at Loyola Blakefield. Despite that, I never took the time to fully understand the prayer until I founded Safe Alternative Foundation for Education.
This prayer puts everything into perspective for me. Life is about fulfilling your God given purpose. I believe you should be generous in your service to others, genuinely give from the heart and not boast about it, don’t do the work solely to seek success, when you get tired lean on God for the strength to persevere through, do God’s work for him and not external awards, allowing God to use you as a vessel and receiving his praise is all the reward you need.
These are principals that guide me in my philanthropy efforts and work at SAFE. There have been times I’ve contemplated dissolving my foundation or closing the center. I’ve had plenty of sleepless nights worrying about finances for the center, then out of nowhere a donation would arrive in the mail. Through these experiences I’ve learned that if I’m faithful and continue to do God’s work, He will provide and make a way.