Only Talk
Today I am convicted. I am saddened at my own lack of action. When will I move past talk and into action? I say I care about justice for the poor and the oppressed, but do I really? Si Johnston's Article on justice and mission really hit home with me as I read it today."Have we bought hook line and sinker into British Telecom's jingle 'it's good to talk' and talked ourselves impotent, or are we so busy 'doing it' that we don't feel compelled to write about it?"
I feel as if I've been too busy talking about it that I haven't done very much. Stories of actual events that have taken place in my life will speak louder than any motivational speech that I could give of how we need to care for the poor and oppressed. Talking without doing is hypocritical at the least and mostly downright defiant of God.
Lord, please do everything you must to allow my life to be broken and electrified into movement. I don't want to be a man who's words are cheapened because my life doesn't reflect them. Instead make me a man who's life is so full of action that it tells the story of who I am.
4 Comments:
Dave Andrews, the great Ozzy Action-man, suffers from induced depression. The doc said that it was caused by struggling to make changes in the world but suffering many failures (I paraphrase). One of Dave's solutions is to find things to do that are achievable which if they fail will not destroy him.
Honestly, there is no point killing yourself over what you cannot or have not done. Each of us can do more. No question. But there is a real and necessary struggle to find what can legitimately be done. Our family solution is to find areas that we can change in our lifestyle year-on-year. Each year we try to find a few more things we can do.
I also recommend the generous project if you've not seen it http://www.generous.org.uk - a kind of self-help group for triers. Best, Joe
Posted by joeturner
Thanks Joe. I had never before heard of the generous project. I went to the site and did some reading and I think that it is great! The best thing about it for me is that it is a place where people can get ideas and encouragement from others who do the same thing. Its harder to live a life of action when there is no one talking and sharing what they are doing. I find it a huge spur into action when other begin to talk about what they have done and the actions they are taking. Thanks for stopping by Joe.
Posted by Ryan
You are right on I couldn't agree with you more. Talking about issue isn't bad but if that is all you do you need to rethink things. Just talking about feeding the poor will never feed them. When I look at Jesus' life I see that whatever he talked about he did and that is exactly what we need to do. Good post Ryan!
Cheers
Posted by Cole Davis
Only Talk, hey Ryno in the movie Diarios the Motos (Mortorcycle Diaries) Che was torn by the river that seperated him from the homes of the people that had leprosy. He was torn because he wanted to to live in communion with them. I thought one of the best parts was when he swam across the river to be with them on his birthday. There are alot of rivers that seperate us from the lonley,oppressed,houseless and it is easy just to give them money and go on. But what I got from the movie was Che's humility and capacity to love on these people, his humility made it is easy for him to enter in communion with them. Mark
Posted by Mark Hinojos