What if you could save the world? Would you use that power?
I need to make it clear that I am not talking about door-to-door confronting people with, “If you were to die tonight would you spend eternity in heaven or hell? If you will just repent of your sin and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord you can be saved and know that you will live forever in heaven.”
I am talking about using your power to save the world this moment.
Each and every one of us is created with a need to be loved and with a power to love. What makes me so sad when I see people acting in less than loving ways is that I know they are failing to do and be what they are created for. They are diminishing their lives and the lives of others.
“Oh Keith,” I can hear you say. “You sound like one of those old hippie ‘flower power’ people.”
You and I have the power to transform – to save –, our world.
Well, I did come of age in the 60s and 70s. But let me share with you an experience of mine with “flower power”. I was a 19 year old Marine lance corporal stationed in Twentynine Palms, CA. We had two prevalent names for this base. We knew it as either the “world’s biggest ash tray” or the “world’s largest cat box”. This is due to the fact that it is located in the Mojave Desert, and in every direction you could turn, you’d be confronted with sand and rock. Can we say desolate?
But I had the good fortune to be there, not just in the Fall, Winter, and Summer. I was also there in the Spring. The transformation of the landscape in just a few days time was nothing short of miraculous. What had been a monochromatic brownish-beige was transformed into a panorama that would challenge the paint palette of the most accomplished artist. Cacti and wildflowers erupted into brilliant bursts of color that caused me to pull my car to the side of the road on numerous occasions to just stop and stare.
You and I have the power to transform – to save –, our world. It is what we are created to do. For most of us, it will not be for reported or celebrated actions; it will be in our choices moment by moment. Will we choose to give smiles and kind words to those around us during the difficult times? Will we choose to be patient and understanding to those spewing forth words and deeds we vehemently disagree with? It can make a difference.
As a young teenager I remember being with my mother as she pulled in a gas station to have the attendant fill the tank (yes, it was some 50 years ago). The attendant was in somewhat-unkempt clothes and had long, straggly hair. Her remarks as we waited to pull to the pump indicated that she did not think highly of this young man. As we pulled to the pump he greeted her with a very upbeat disposition, kind compliments on how nice she looked, and a cheery smile. When we pulled away from that station it was very obvious to me that her opinion of that young man had radically altered.
“But, what if they don’t deserve my kindness?”
I would suggest that it is these people who deserve kindness the least need it the most.
The world is not saved once and for all. It is saved when we give the moment-by-moment acts of love and kindness that we are created to share.
Think about it.
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