M
other Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on the 26th of August 1910, and she died on the
5th of September 1997. She is said to have been a living embodiment of love and compassion,
and I agree. At the young age of 12, she felt that God was calling her to serve Him and this led
her to become a nun and take her first vows in 1931. It was at this stage that she changed her name and
became known as sister Teresa.
In 1929 when she arrived Calcutta India to begin her two-year training prior to taking her vows as a nun
she saw the face of poverty first hand. This experience did not leave her the same or indifferent. It changed
her life forever. Initially, because of church policies, she could do little or nothing for the poor she passed
by daily in the slums. However, in September 1946 she felt a call to forsake all and follow Christ into the
slums. It was at this point that she began her own religious order, the Missionaries of Charity which had
its own set of vows for nuns.
Mother Teresa lived the rest of her life from that point serving the poor, and her order quickly spread to
other nations of the world. In her lifetime, Mother Teresa met with many wealthy and powerful men and
women, kings and rulers of nations. She became a celebrity by serving the poor.
The Leadership Lessons from
the Life of Mother Teresa are;
Great women do not seek fame, but fame seeks
them eventually. As they commit to serving others,
they rise from obscurity to limelight. Mother Teresa
did not set out seeking to be famous, but as she met
the needs of the poor and became a voice for the
voiceless, the world came to know and revere her.
She dined with kings and rulers of nations.
Great women are compassionate. Compassion
drives them to serve others and ultimately leads
them to greatness. Mother Teresa had an unusual
level of compassion which drove her to the slums
to serve the poorest of the poor.
Great women are pathfinders and trailblazers.
These women go where others have not gone.
They take the road less travelled, and they do not
give in to fear. Mother Teresa was able to establish
her own religious order that had its own vows
and a different dress code from other nuns in the
Catholic church.
Great women follow their heart. They do the things
that they love to do. They are not just passionate
about what they do; they do things that they are
passionate about. The things that bring them
fulfillment. For great women, money is never the
goal, but they end up getting plenty of it. Mother
Teresa did not set out with wealth in mind, but
wealth came to her eventually.
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DOZ Magazine February 2018
Great women remove the limitations that hold
others back, and in so doing they live a life without
limits. Mother Teresa allowed nothing limit her in
her quest to serve the poor; not even church policy
was able to hold her back.
Great women are not afraid to step out of their
comfort zone. Mother Teresa had a comfortable
life in the convent, but s