How do you wish the world looked different? How about the changes you would like to see in yourself or your family? What about your church? Do you wish things looked differently there?
There are many things that we wish were different on many different levels. It’s funny though, isn’t it, that it is so much easier to sit back and talk about how we wish things were different than to actually be the difference we want to see in the world. It is much easier to moan about global warming than to carry out the recycling every week. It is much easier to wish for a more peaceful home than to curb our temper or bite our tongue. It is much easier to wish for a supportive, non-judgmental church family than to not pass along the latest piece of gossip that we just heard.
It’s funny, isn’t it, how we tend to live dualistic lives? We say we want one thing, but then we act in just the opposite manner. The problem lies in the fact that we do not take responsibility for our own power. This is a modern form of an Oedipus complex. Loosely paraphrased it means that we don’t own our own power or our own need for pleasure or a satisfying life. As long as we place responsibility for a better world, better life, or a better community outside of ourselves, then we have given our power away.
Collectively when we do this, we turn our power over to the side of darkness and the future of our planet looks pretty grim. Individually when we do this, we give our power to anyone stronger than us and allow him or her to control our life and our destiny. In the church to give our power away is to lose our effectiveness in the world and become irrelevant in society.
In a democracy we are familiar with the power of one. It is the power of one vote that drives us to the voting booth during elections. At least it used to. Sometimes I think that we have given up on the idea that one person can make a difference. We have become victims instead of victors. We turn on the news and are numbed into a collective depression. We numb our senses with mass media thinking and lose our ability to imagine a world different from the one we see on the screen.
There has never been a better time to take back our power. Our power lies in the gift from the Creator of our own free will. It is the power of choice. Our time would be better spent looking at ways that we as individuals can start making better choices. Be the change that you want to see in the world. Be the person who improves the ecology of the earth by making different choices. Be the partner who grows as an individual and becomes all that he or she can be. Be the church member who stops the gossip in its tracks by not repeating destructive things you hear about others. Be the person who shares abundance. Be the person…you fill in the blank.
The changes that we can manifest in our lives and in our world are only limited by the scope of our imagination. But we have to believe that God’s intent for us is to live a beautiful abundant life. We have to own our power of choice. We have to become the change we want to see in the world.
Questions to ask yourself today:
How do I want to see the world change for the better?
What kind of a relationship do I want to have with myself? With others? With a partner?
What kind of a church family would I like to belong to?
The answers to our questions will provide us with a map for our future. Choose wisely!!
There are many things that we wish were different on many different levels. It’s funny though, isn’t it, that it is so much easier to sit back and talk about how we wish things were different than to actually be the difference we want to see in the world. It is much easier to moan about global warming than to carry out the recycling every week. It is much easier to wish for a more peaceful home than to curb our temper or bite our tongue. It is much easier to wish for a supportive, non-judgmental church family than to not pass along the latest piece of gossip that we just heard.
It’s funny, isn’t it, how we tend to live dualistic lives? We say we want one thing, but then we act in just the opposite manner. The problem lies in the fact that we do not take responsibility for our own power. This is a modern form of an Oedipus complex. Loosely paraphrased it means that we don’t own our own power or our own need for pleasure or a satisfying life. As long as we place responsibility for a better world, better life, or a better community outside of ourselves, then we have given our power away.
Collectively when we do this, we turn our power over to the side of darkness and the future of our planet looks pretty grim. Individually when we do this, we give our power to anyone stronger than us and allow him or her to control our life and our destiny. In the church to give our power away is to lose our effectiveness in the world and become irrelevant in society.
In a democracy we are familiar with the power of one. It is the power of one vote that drives us to the voting booth during elections. At least it used to. Sometimes I think that we have given up on the idea that one person can make a difference. We have become victims instead of victors. We turn on the news and are numbed into a collective depression. We numb our senses with mass media thinking and lose our ability to imagine a world different from the one we see on the screen.
There has never been a better time to take back our power. Our power lies in the gift from the Creator of our own free will. It is the power of choice. Our time would be better spent looking at ways that we as individuals can start making better choices. Be the change that you want to see in the world. Be the person who improves the ecology of the earth by making different choices. Be the partner who grows as an individual and becomes all that he or she can be. Be the church member who stops the gossip in its tracks by not repeating destructive things you hear about others. Be the person who shares abundance. Be the person…you fill in the blank.
The changes that we can manifest in our lives and in our world are only limited by the scope of our imagination. But we have to believe that God’s intent for us is to live a beautiful abundant life. We have to own our power of choice. We have to become the change we want to see in the world.
Questions to ask yourself today:
How do I want to see the world change for the better?
What kind of a relationship do I want to have with myself? With others? With a partner?
What kind of a church family would I like to belong to?
The answers to our questions will provide us with a map for our future. Choose wisely!!
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