I don’t read a lot of magazines.  Not because I don’t like reading them, it’s more about buying a pricey publication that I’m supposed to throw away (recycle) once I’ve finished reading it.  I’m not sure if it’s my hoarder tendencies or my desire to not be wasteful that keeps me from discarding these disposable print pieces, but I find myself keeping them.  Recently, I received a free copy of Reject Apathy while attending a conference.

The cover stories quickly grabbed my attention.  I decided to make a little time to leaf through it, looking for anything that might interest me.  As it turns out, the whole magazine was intriguing. I couldn’t put it down.  These people know how to write articles for ADHD people!  I have the attention span of a gnat, but I was completely sucked into this publication.  One article in particular rocked my world: Post-Missions Cynicism by Curt Devine (read the full article).  He put into words everything I thought and felt after my first mission trip, but never myself tried to identify.

“The conflict between excess at home and scarcity abroad is a lot to handle. The temptation can be to hate America’s abundance, or forget the poverty overseas and go back to life the way it was before. The key is living within the tension.” — Curt Devine

The article is about living in the tension between the excess of our American culture and the scarcity experienced in our mission fields.  His abroad covers a good portion of the planet.  My abroad doesn’t span as far, but does it need to?  I feel the same way he does when I return from an orphanage in Mexico.  I also feel this way when I get home from volunteering at the homeless shelter that’s 15 miles away.

How can I come back from seeing a world in need and be okay with my big air-conditioned house filled mostly with things I don’t need?  How can I go to sleep at night lying on my safe, cozy bed, set with my perfect sleep number and not think about people that don’t even have a bed?  I heard Kay Warren speak several years ago about how she’s been ruined.  As Kay says, she used to be fun at parties, but now all she can talk about is the AIDS crisis.  She witnessed this horrible epidemic first hand, but upon going home, she couldn’t forget it.  I guess I’ve been ruined, but ruined by the epidemic of poverty and homelessness. 

I could discuss this article for days, but instead I’ll just highlight a few things in this blog post.  (I read ADHD style, but clearly I don’t write that way)  I’ll share the three questions he asks at the end of the article and how I processed them through my life-lens.

If you had all the time and resources to make an impact, what would you do?

I can’t even wrap my head around this.  What wouldn’t I do?  This was opened up for discussion in a devotional time with some of our church staff.  We had the “what if I won the lottery” discussion and some pretty intense conversation about applying our culture and life experience to our mission fields.

The reality is this.  If we won the lottery, we would more than likely stop doing whatever it is we’re doing now.  Also, applying our culture of excess seems logical at first, but it’s ludicrous to look at hunger (the real hunger game) and a flat-screen TV in the same light.  Instead of wanting to give them more of what I have, I find myself wanting to eliminate much of my excess.  I believe God has us in our places and situations for a reason, which brings me to his next question…

Now, with the limited resources you do have, what impact can you have on your local community?

Resources aren’t just monetary.  Yes, money does help, but it’s not the answer.  What’s the difference between a problem and an opportunity?  A problem is just a difficultly that’s been identified.  An opportunity is a problem backed by someone with passion and motivation to initiate a positive change.  Throwing money at a problem, without having someone passionate about doing something about it, will accomplish absolutely nothing.  Do something about it.

• Change where you shop, support small businesses.
• Volunteer your time at a local food pantry or shelter.
• Write a blog post and share it with your circle of friends.
• Encourage others to do something with you.
• Educate yourself.  Read a book, blog or some articles on community issues.
• Go out today and do something that supports your local community.
• Go!  Now!  Seriously, go.

What small steps can you take toward making a global change?

Do you think globally?  This one took me by surprise.  I guess sometimes I think globally, mostly about environmental issues.  I never really looked at anything I do as making a global impact… until today.  Helping create change in our own communities is the first step in creating global change.  One small good thing could snowball into a huge good thing.

Global is big.  As I thought about a lesson I’m trying to teach my kids, I had to rethink the global thing.  I tell them all of the time that their actions matter.  Our actions are our unspoken voice for everything we believe in.  If you believe in small business, then shop only in those places.  If you believe there’s a lot of waste in the world, don’t be wasteful.  If you believe we live in an unfair society, do your part to balance it out.  If we all live our lives according to what we stand for, we will be making a global impact.

I can spend my time being frustrated about all of the injustice in the world, or even stay paralyzed by the enormity of it, but I think my time is better spent being the person initiating change, one small step at a time.  Sometimes this is a struggle, as I get in the big-problem-gridlock.  Yes, one small step at a time… as soon as I step outside my door.

“Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.” – Andy Stanley