Contagious

I now want to go back to a couple of quotes that inspired me once to write a speech (see http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1359188209#/note.php?note_id=45266252845&id=1359188209&index=3). These ones I will probably leave up as well, and I'm now getting the idea, that I may just continue to add quotes this way, and maybe put a memo in my quotes section to refer to notes to get the fuller picture. If you haven't read the first two, don't worry about that at all. Anyways, the quotes are from two people who lived in totally different cultures, at different times, and speaking probably about totally different things. In fact, one quote is a paraphrase of an idea that another man had about 1900 years before either of the two men lived. The first is from Ghandi and the other is a paraphrase that is found in Eugene Peterson's The Message paraphrase of the Bible when he interprets the Apostle Paul's letter to the Thessalonians. In any case, I think the two quotes compliment each other well and I will now stop introducing them and I will try to talk about them. Here it goes.

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world."

"We only tried to provide an example of diligence hoping it would prove contagious.

I've already put my two cents in about these words, but still, every time, it seems as if they catch me unaware, or feeling as if I've lived my whole life, trying to sort out good from bad in my head, instead of trying to do things that help others, and I feel clumsy, like I've missed the point. However, I am not long discouraged about this because there is a word in there that I am encouraged greatly by: must. The "must" is almost contractual, as if we are required to be the change, and that's not always a fun thought; but, if it is such a contract, it affects both parties similarly. Not only must we be change, but the world must change when we do. It is impossible for it not to. We, of course, would have to be very large, in order for the literal world to look very different any time soon. However, my world is hardly all 6 billion people and all 7 continents. I am not saying that I am ignorant or inconsiderate of these other people and other places. Rather, I am understanding and accepting my role, realizing that I alone can not affect all of these people at once, and allowing for that role to be expanded as His heart desires. Because, the fact is, if we do not begin by taking small steps, we will never learn to take the big ones. In fact, I believe that this is the only way that we can believe in our ability to have a great impact and see that belief fulfilled. Rather than seeing it as a settling upon lesser goals, I view this as a sort of engaging in a process that leads to great things. By making the little changes in the way we think and act, we initiate a process, that, if followed, can never be stopped by anything outside of the "changee" himself.

Secondly, I think that the second quote says a great deal about how to go about making this change. Instead of attempting to change the whole world, we must set an example for that world. Another quote from a movie close to my heart, Field of Dreams, says, "If you build it, they will come." Manipulated a bit to apply here, we can say, if we do set an example, the world will follow. Just the idea of being contagious is exciting to me as a person of faith. I want to be that person, that tool, that spreads the good news, that shows love that is contagious, and that impacts those around him. Finally, I think that it would always be a great idea to try and do what Paul tried to do. I mean, the guy had a pretty powerful ministry himself, so why wouldn't I try to do something that he tried to do. Just saying.