As much as I enjoy 007 movies, no this is not about James Bond or how you like your martinis.
There is a lot of bad stuff that happens in our world – war, famine, disease, abuse, neglect. And perhaps closer to home – rejection, job losses, financial uncertainty, broken relationships, and more.
There are two ways we can respond to it…
We can allow our faith and our hope to be shaken.
We can throw our hands up and say, “Where is God?!? How could He let this happen?!? Life sucks and it’s not getting any better!
OR…
We can be stirred.
We can know that there is hope… We are the hope. Ordinary people are making a difference one day at a time, one person at a time.
There’s an old Chinese proverb that says…
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
(Feel free to retweet that or share it on Facebook, Google+, Pintrest or Instagram)
- When we see children in Africa orphaned by AIDS will we be shaken? Or stirred to sponsor them?
- When we see homeless people in our own country will we be shaken? Or stirred to help?
- When we see youth caught up in violence and drugs will we be shaken? Or stirred to mentor?
- When we see governments and businesses failing to solve financial problems will be shaken? Or stirred to take action ourselves?
- When we face our own frailty in sickness and death will we be shaken? Or stirred to find solace in the God, the giver of life and great healer?
When confronted by your own personal problems or the problems of this world, will you be shaken or stirred?
Good stuff, I will come back and read more.
Indeed. and taking action can make all the difference, even it is a small effort, or just reaching out…
Yep, thanks David!
People helping people less fortunate than themselves has always been something that makes a difference! Compassion is a good thing! Hurricane Katrina & Sandy come to mind and 9/11. Every little bit counts. You do not need to be religious to contribute!
Thanks Sally, you’re right, every little bit helps.
if it were so easy… read a nice blog post and people wake up to their power. Unfortunately they don’t… but they probably will give lip-service… the easy way out.
Being stirred is like putting your a-s-s on the line… Saying: if it is to be, it is up to me. Not god, not others, ME.
You never know, Sophie. Sometimes all a person needs is a little encouragement or someone who is stirred to invite that person to join in. 🙂
So true, people saldy go right back to their everyday way of thinking.
Neither Shaken nor Stirred. Just looking forward in an optimistic way.
Cheers from Germany
Hansjörg
Puts me in mind of Romans 13:12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”
There are times when I’m shaken and a little out of it when life throws me an unexpected curve ball. Sometimes the shock of it all takes me down and I struggled to get back up. However, I become stirred to get back on my feet and dust myself off because there are countless things to be encouraged about. Thanks again Paul for another wonderful blog post!
Troy, thanks for an authentic response. I think that’s true of all of us at times.
HI Paul,
Thanks for sharing your post.
Paying it forward.
Making an impact on my town, city, county, state and nation then I can feel constructive and progressive, strong and healed.
We are strong when we heal our own weakest links and then can branch out world wise.
Awesome Karen!
Living intentionally. How many of us don’t? it’s good to think about – and reflect – on what we see, what we want, the power we have to make meaningful change… and the power to make meaningful change that we never exercise.
Really a wonderful blog post! I will and AM stirred! Just as the God’s Word the Bible foretold what the signs of the ‘Last Days’ would be at Matthew 24, Luke 21 and 2 Timothy 3, we know the trials and tribulations of mankind are imminent, so now more than ever we need to proved to be stirred by what we see others suffer, build and display our compassion and give hope to others and trust in God.
It’s great to hear you’re stirred, Julieann. I’d love to hear more specific stories of what you do or are already doing.
Thanks again Paul….for such a wonderful Blog….Darkness and Light are both unchangeable facts of human life in this world, where in we live. Where there is day there will also be night, where there are good there will be bad too….this is all part of life. It is we who got to adjust with it, and for our good, we have to create ways and means to overcome all the shortfalls in life, rather than blaming anything or anybody. Thanks Paul, this is what i understood from you blog here…am i right?
Yes, Ramesh. It starts with believing that it’s not all pointless, that we can each make a difference. And then we take action.
Thanks for sharing, as Pablo Picasso said “Action is the foundational key to all success”, we must act.
I think there was ONE word in that very well written article that sums everything up. That word is HOPE. We, as human beings, can sustain faith and a positive spirit as long as we have HOPE. Hope can and will always keep you moving forward. Hope is a wonderful thing.
Great point Steven! If there’s no hope, there’s no point in doing anything. But hope provokes action!
Very interesting article. Thanks for shareing.