The Healing Power of Active Love

The act of reaching out to help another is often viewed as a sacrifice of time, energy, or resources. However, as noted in Testimonies for the Church (Vol. 2, p. 534), there is a profound spiritual and physiological law at play: when we pour ourselves out for the benefit of others, we are simultaneously replenished. This "practical demonstration" of interest in those around us does more than just lighten their load; it actively contributes to the health of our own souls and bodies. By shifting our focus away from our own struggles and onto the needs of others, we find a divine remedy for the infirmities that often weigh us down when we are self-absorbed.

True benevolence is not merely a moral duty but a transformative power that "animates the mind and vibrates through the whole body." There is a literal, physical cheerfulness that accompanies a life of service. The countenance of a person motivated by disinterested love becomes a reflection of moral elevation, lighting up with a clarity that no medicine can provide. In contrast, a life centered solely on self-interest leads to a dejected and gloomy spirit, eventually "stamping its own image" upon the outward man. Our faces eventually tell the story of who we serve: ourselves or our Creator.

This connection between our internal character and our outward health reveals the high stakes of our daily choices. Selfishness and "self-love" are described in MYP 209 as forces that wither our social sympathies, causing us to lose the very capacity for joy that we were created to experience. When we cherish avarice or stinginess, we reflect the image of the "fallen foe" rather than the image of God. The more we turn inward, the more we lose our connection to the source of life, resulting in a spiritual and physical decline that isolates us from both humanity and divinity.

Ultimately, the person who engages in selfless work becomes a "partaker of the divine nature," a concept echoed in 2 Peter 1:4. By choosing to act with benevolence, we escape the corruption of a world driven by lust and greed. We are invited to step into a higher state of being where our satisfaction is found in the recovery of a "healthy tone of the imagination" and the victory over our own weaknesses. As we forget ourselves in the service of others, we find that we have not lost anything at all; instead, we have gained a divine likeness and a vibrant, healthy life that testifies to the purity and holiness of God.