I Appeal to You
... through Bertha Dudde  - 24.03.1954 

5913   Fighting or helping ....

Don’t forget that you will have to fight or be of service .... Yet the battle should not be against your fellow human being, against those who are weak and defenceless, nor should one tackle the other in order to defeat him for the sake of worldly success. The battle should be against yourselves, against faults and bad habits, vices and cravings .... This battle is not easy and requires all your strength; yet if you are victorious in this battle you will have achieved a marvellous success .... However, you can also choose a different path in order to attain this success .... the path of helpful neighbourly love. As soon as you are helping you are likewise overcoming yourself, for you voluntarily change your nature. You acquire the strength you need in order to discard all faults and bad habits through your actions of love and receive an abundant measure of grace .... if you serve with love .... In that case you will have overcome arrogance first; you will have become humble and can subsequently receive an unlimited amount of blessings .... You no longer need to wage battle against yourselves once you serve with love. Being of service with love is merely a different form of battle against oneself yet it likewise succeeds in becoming victorious over everything degrading, over all cravings, over heartlessness.

A person’s change of character takes place either through fighting or helping, however, helping is far easier than fighting, and anyone who is always a helpful brother to his fellow human beings will meet with far less opposition than someone whose goal consists of systematic self-denial, for his fellow human beings will not offer him the patience and love which the former gains through his conduct with other people. This is why it says: fighting or helping .... because a helpful person will be spared the difficult inner battles which the other person often has to endure. A battle with the weapons of love is always promising, and truly, someone who helps with humility is the stronger, for he reaches his goal faster, because he will always receive grace and strength in abundance .... which someone who fights will in fact have to appeal for as well or he will be defeated in his battle against himself. It will also be conveyed to him by God after his prayer so that he can achieve his transformation of character, yet it will only have been completed when he also helps with love, when, after a tough battle, his selfish love has become selfless neighbourly love .... and then he will also receive strength and grace through loving activity ....

Amen