Great ideas need the right place and time in order to have life. As good or fantastic as the words might seem, unless there are individuals who are ready to embrace the idea and make it their own, the great idea will not survive. The ingredients required to move from rhetoric to action include a willing ear, an openness to more, and the power that comes from truth.
You and I are called to live out a set of values that the world may not be able or willing to hear. There is an inherent irony embedded in this calling. One man put it this way; “It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket.” (1 Corinthians 4.9)
I often wake up wondering if it is worth it. In the darkest moments there is a clear sense of the larger story.
While hearing about great ideas is good, seeing good ideas in action is always better. When a good idea is being modeled, it becomes an open invitation into something real and undeniable.
Even if another is unable to grasp the good idea, seeing it in action is a beacon of hope that brings renewed energy. Compassion is powerful, even when one struggles to act compassionate. Mercy is life changing, even when every fiber of our being calls for judgment.
Great acts of love are gifts that can be unwrapped at any time. It may take time for the receiver to be able to understand and embrace what they have received. The giver may never know the outcome. In a time life demands and courage abounds, the gift today will make a difference.
It is easy to think that being part of a great story is not important. As a rainy day begins, I know yesterday’s experiences of hope are filling me with hope. I have a debt to others that were willing to act on a stage without an audience. My actions today will be my applause.
