knowing what you know…
There's a Steve Garber quote that always challenges me: "Knowing what you know about yourself and the world, what are you going to do?"
Why do I find this quote challenging? Because it's so easy in our world of nonstop news, constant social media, and never-ending data to know so much about what's wrong with the world, but yet never do anything to help. This quote forces me to recognize that the things I know and notice about the world aren't just abstract accidents, but rather are God's invitation for me to act.
Instead of acting, though, we usually deal with the problems of our world in two ways:
We criticize and condemn the other side for causing the problem and then wait for them to do something to fix it. We'd love to do something to help, we tell ourselves, but we can't because it's their problem and not ours.
We acknowledge the problems of the world, but all of our doing goes towards trying to insulate ourselves from them. If I can just make this much money, we tell ourselves, then I can create a personal bubble through savings, location, and class so that I won't be affected by our world’s problems.
But neither of these answers is right. God has given each of us a context and a calling, and as we grow in our understanding of both, he invites us to act. Not to do everything, but to do something in service to the people and problems around us.
Yeah, I know that will make for a harder life, but if you're someone who considers themselves a Christian, the theme of your life shouldn't be, "What can I do to make myself happy?” but rather, "What can I do to bring God glory?”
So, knowing what you know about yourself and the world, what are you going to do?
