Change...Something

"The greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
                                                                                               - Brennan Manning

The weekend before last, I was in a Valentine's Dinner Theater at my church. This year was probably the most fun I've had doing it, but with two small children, it was probably also the most exhausting. Amy and I didn't really have many relaxing nights at home with the kids, so I'm finally catching up on some rest, spending time with the kids and also getting back to the blog.

Speaking of the Valentine's Dinner Theater, my post today was inspired by the play; my character specifically. In it, I played Grizz, a grizzly bear who isn't a big fan of humans. Grizz, in an attempt to scare an approaching family of bear enthusiasts, got himself into trouble. Now, he blames humans for messing everything up. Interestingly...I am Grizz, in real life.

One of my opening lines in the play was this. "I don't like humans all that much." Sad thing is, sometimes I feel like I really don't. I'm not overly patient or friendly with the human race. I'm annoyed at so many things we do. I get on Facebook and my wall is cluttered with complaints and negativity. I turn on the TV, and have a hard time finding something appropriate that a toddler can watch, and I can enjoy. Even after her bedtime, most of what's on is trash. Music seems to be just as bad as television and movies. The amount of complaining I hear at work is staggering. The things I hear come from the mouths of people in public is horrible. The things my Jr High small group kids say and ask for during prayer are shocking. The list goes on and on. The truth is, it seems almost impossible sometimes to have a loving attitude towards a world that treasures hate and trash. But that's not what I WANT. That's not the attitude I want to have.

So what message am I sending when I walk out the door? If it isn't a message of love, compassion, and hope, then I'm actually contributing to the destruction of a broken world. The world isn't grasping hate and trash, it's searching for answers. Looking for that very message of love. Looking for some hope. Looking for some compassion. It will be difficult sometimes to be patient with everyone from a slow driver to the foul mouthed drunk at the table behind me in the restaurant. But today, or 15 years from now, I could be delivering the most important message that person will ever hear. A message that changes their lives forever. I don't want to be part of a cause, I want to be a source to the solution.

I want to share a song I came across recently. I've had the cd for a couple of years, but just recently really listened to the album "Remedy" by David Crowder Band. There is a song on there called "Surely We Can Change" that I was reminded of when trying to think of a way to end this post. I couldn't do any better than using the idea that was shared in that song. It's a song about living in a world that God loves so much, but is also so full of hate. It asks how we, as Christians, should respond. What do we choose to do in that world? Here is the chorus:

Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Something

Change will come when we show the world love. It may change the lives of hundreds or thousands. It may change the lives of one or two. And in my case, it may start with a change only from within. Starting today, I'm choosing to make a change. Choosing to make a difference. Choosing to show love, when I would normally have a hard time doing so. And by doing that, I'm hoping for change in something.