The Life of Liz

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

Monday, March 3, 2008

13:13

How do you change the world?

It starts with faith. You can argue the point with me if you like, but before you do, I humbly suggest that you take a quiet moment and remember what you've always known. God is. He just is and there's really no getting around that. When I am blind and tired and very much past the end of myself, faith is the voice whispering, "God is still good. Even so." Whoever you are, wherever you are, it is comforting to be certain of the existence of goodness.

Walking on the heels of faith comes hope. Hope always seemed to me to be frail; so easily shattered. But now I think it is tougher than I know. After all, when everything we are and everything we strive for is so much dust, hope outlasts it all. What hope is, is slippery. And how easily we lose our grip on it.
Much of the world is drowning in injustice, poverty and despair. Hope lifts our eyes from the darkness to see the saints around us. They are the professors of New York Theological Seminary that teach Master of Divinity degrees to inmates at Sing Sing prison. They are the aid workers bringing medicine and kindness to the dying in Africa. They are the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity serving the poorest of the poor around the world. They are the housewives, the teenagers, the businessmen, the athletes that choose to take God at His word and bring His kingdom to earth. They shine like stars.

The final step? You already know what it is. It is love. Love in action. Change the world one person at a time. I've written before of the wee cult I've started committed to Doing the Stuff. We believe people of faith have a responsibility to love and protect the poorest and most vulnerable. To date our group has passed out bags of hats, scarves, and gloves to homeless people. We have fixed the heater of a couple who didn't have enough money to get it repaired. We babysat for 6 kids so their single father and grandparents could have the night off. We've passed out hundreds of sack lunches, paid for teens to go to church camp, and helped strangers move. It's not a lot, but it's a start.

Won't you join us?

1 comments:

Sabba and Nanny March 15, 2008 at 12:11:00 PM MDT  

Yes, and amen.

May I paraphrase? It IS a lot. It's a start! A journey of a thousand miles and all that...

Nice three-point sermon outline, by the way. Faith, hope, and love. Hmmmm...Where have I heard that before?

Seriously, though, great job. Wonderful use of language, of imagery, and most importantly, powerful message.

Couldn't agree more. Changing the world one person at a time. Can't do any more than that, and of course, that one person I am able to change one person at a time is------Me!

Giving love. Receiving love. The Kingdom of God. Love, love, love, all you need is love, because God is love.

I love it!

Love, UJ

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A brand new mom trying to navigate the crazy world of mixed families, babies, and working full time. Phew! Just writing that makes me want to lie down.

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