A dear little boy lying still and pale, face down on a beach. Dead. Like many, I was shocked by and tearful about this image in the newspapers and online.
Generally, I avoid bad news. I know myself and I’m overly-sensitive to it.
Plus I figure that by watching the news I can’t know what’s really truly going on for other people anyway. It’s not going to help anyone, me just knowing about bad stuff and yet doing nothing about it.
And I’m fully aware that I can only view what the media wants me to see. Usually one side of a complex story. It’s all filtered and from a distance so I only receive an awareness of sorts.
Anyway, how can I have acute awareness of the horror for others when I may continue with my everyday life?..
So often, I just carry on as normal.
It’s easy enough to find distraction. It’s everywhere. I call it “distraction” and in my busy-ness many would say that’s justifiable. It could also go by the name of “apathy”.
My definition of “Apathy”: A lack of any form of action that will make a positive difference… The silent supporter to any wrong-doing.
Doing nothing is certainly an expression of freewill. And therein I’m using a God-given power that is available to me. Wasn’t it, after all, God who created me with freewill in the first place?
Although I know just being in the world for any length of time seems to complicate the existence our free will. As our mind gets bound up and bombarded and barbed-wired with artificial boundaries.
Which could raise the question:
Does pure freewill even exist? What about the limitations of our background, our education, our experiences?… Do we truly have the freedom and power to choose, decide and act?
To Choose…
Therefore to act.
Unless perhaps our hands are tied by our circumstances. Can we truly be held responsible for sleeping through the storms? I for one would prefer not to wake up in a nightmare.
Or must we wake ourselves up? Consider where the truth lies
AND REPRESENT!
Seek and choose at least our thinking, our believing… For good or for evil.
Some do make choices and make a difference. Some change their thinking and believing and actions. There is possibility.
How painful must it be for God to witness the destruction that people choose to inflict one on the other all around the globe! He knows the situation for each individual and loves each with the desperation of a loving father.
What about me? I identify with being God’s girl. So where He cares about each individual, what about me? Am I bothered? Do I care about the same things as Him? Might I choose to?
Dare I ?
That thought really scares me; In an “I fear God” kind of way.
Because I consider HOW AWESOME HE IS.
His thoughts and His ways are well beyond mine. I have read over and over the examples that Jesus gave us of how to live and be when He was on earth “the visible image of the invisible God”… JESUS IS…
He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation. Colossians 1:15 (Amplified Bible)
By Jesus’ example, the bar is set high for loving others. I figure, you can’t love people more than decide to die for them.
But what would following Jesus example and doing what God has sorted out for me to do really mean in practice? Cheekily, though I know this is impossible, I’d like to know before fully committing…
What would He have me do? There’s no way I ever want to not do what God has me here for….
But.
I’m afraid too because I always put in a But.
…It all seems so hard. And there are always distractions, complications, disasters to become immune to, bad intent to combat my good intent…
…Excuses, Excuses…
How painful it must be for God when he sees us doing nothing… Not being His hands and feet…
With people’s precious lives at stake.
Not to mention Jesus’ reputation!
Even though I have potential power.
And as individuals coming together with one accord we have enormous potential power. Imagine what we could do together.
Here’s my conclusion.
In order to step out and do a good work – even in a small way changing the world, making a difference – I have to TRUST GOD.
By His grace, He can give me an abundance for Every Good Work, because He is ABLE…!
And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him],and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity. (2 Corinthians 9:8, Amplified Bible)
The legacy of the boy lying dead on the beach was that many, like me, were finally moved by compassion to see what we could do to help. Reaching beyond that particular situation and beyond our own worlds. Even if we can just make a difference for one person, we have made a difference.
This is what I believe:
We can’t do everything.
We can do something.
Even if it’s a drop in the ocean, that will cause a ripple effect, there will be some kind of IMPACT and INFLUENCE.
And here’s the whisper in my head :
Together, each of us doing something, just because we can…
Couldn’t we just change the world?
This outrageous thought has been shaping throughout my church over the past years. The optimistic thoughts of what God might do, have been making us bold and confident even in our each of our comparatively small contributions.
Remembering that with regards to giving it’s the heart that counts to God.
And in the process of opening our hands and hearts to give, we may well look in the mirror and find that we ourselves have been changed.
Our own hearts changed simply by showing love to others. Our own lives enlarged through our generosity.
Isn’t that where renewal can really begin again? In each of our hearts? For each of us as individuals.
One at a time, each of our own hearts changing… each of our own hearts in turn influencing the hearts of others to change
by God’s grace.
That’s how we can change the world!
…
Am I just preaching to myself here?
…
