The Power of One

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Mohandas Gandhi

Is there something in your life that you feel you were meant to do?

I’m not necessarily talking about a job or a career, but more along the lines of an idea, or an inspiration to do something, perhaps for the betterment of others. It doesn’t even have to be anything big, as in saving the human race.

Come to think of, it doesn’t have to be for the betterment of others. On a personal level, perhaps this “something” may be a way of enriching your own life.

So, this something…have you done anything about it? Have you taken even the first step towards making your idea a reality? Have you allowed yourself to believe that you could make a difference in the world? That you could somehow make your own life better?

For those of you who answered “no” to any of the questions, I’m prompted to pose yet another question to you:

Why not?

Why haven’t you done anything about it?

Look, I’m not picking on you. And I’m not gonna sit here and attempt to tell you what you’re thinking right now, though I have a hunch that I’ve touched a nerve with every one of you.

I am gonna tell you that until a few years ago, my answer to all of those questions was a resounding NO. And, as always, I’m gonna share what’s on my heart at this very moment…

Can you imagine going through life and never allowing yourself to dream, about what you could have, or what you could do, or what you could be? No dreams; just accepting what you had, as if your fate were set in stone. You may be asking “How could you not dream about those things? Everybody has dreams.”

That may very well be, but I’m telling you that for the first fifty-three years of my life I never let me dream. I don’t know what happened…what made me that way. Perhaps it was something from my childhood, or it was something in the gene pool. It could’ve been some traumatic event that I just erased from my memory. Of course, there’s always that “fear of failure” thing, or the “I’m not worthy” mindset. Oh, and let’s not forget “I’m just one person.” I don’t know the reason for being the way I was.

Maybe, just maybe, it was all in God’s plan for me so that I could sit here at age fifty-seven and tell you what it was like to live a life bereft of dreams.

Perhaps my message is for you…that God is waiting for you to step up, to raise your hand, to make a commitment to act on the idea that He tucked away in some corner of your mind, to dream your dream. Maybe He has plans in store for you that are even bigger than your dreams!

Think I’m kidding?

Christianity…Humanity…our history is riddled with stories of those who have made a difference in the world. How about a short-list of those who impacted the world…

You want to talk Christianity? How about the Apostles? (12 not-so-more-than-ordinary men) David? (A boy) Paul? (A one-time persecutor of Christians) Moses? (An infant left floating in a basket)

Humanity? How about Abraham Lincoln? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Mother Teresa? William Wilberforce?

Did they know?

Do you think that any of those mentioned above knew what they were destined to do when they were born?

Don’t you think that at some point in their lives, each one of them made a decision to pursue that which they believed to be important to them? That they chose to take that first step, neither knowing, nor caring, where it was gonna take them? That they simply had to act on whatever those instincts were that told them to go out and “do it”?

Maybe God is waiting on you.

Maybe you are the one that can make a difference. Perhaps Gandhi was right when he said “Be the change you want to see in the world.” What are you waiting for?

One final thought…

Just over two thousand years ago an infant was born unto a carpenter and his wife. This baby’s name was Jesus, and his impact on the world would be greater than anyone born before him, and anyone born since.

Even today he shapes the world in which we live. Yeah, I know that he was the Son of God. But that didn’t mean that people would accept who he was. Quite obviously, those that nailed him to the cross didn’t see him as our Savior.

Today, all these years later, there a millions of people in the world that don’t know Him, either by choice or because they haven’t heard the “good news” of His birth. The change that I want to see in the world is for everyone to know of Him and His goodness. I live it each day, and I try to spread it whenever I can. If I plant a seed in you, and you plant it in someone else, and…well, you know how it goes.

One

It has been said that “One” is the loneliest number. That may be, but I also believe that “One” can be a powerful number. One person can make a difference. Need more proof?

 One man, named Jesus, was sent here to save the world, which is exactly what He did when He died on the cross. And I ask you to consider this: Before Jesus, there were no Christians. He lives!

May your home be filled with the Peace, Love, and Joy that is Christmas.