Ignorance is Bliss…
…awareness requires accountability. One would hope that compassion would require action, but I notice in myself that those moments where your heart breaks in effort to empathize with another are all too fleeting. Sometimes you change the channel because you can’t bear the images. Sometimes the issues just seem too large to be able to make a difference on your own. The magnitude of pain and injustice can be so overwhelming that we employ avoidance in order to protect our seemingly safe existence. Other times, we are too hardened to notice and at others too involved with our own dramas.
But hurrah for the images and stories that haunt us; not letting us remain unchanged. They force us to become involved either by pushing them out of our minds over and over or taking small steps to affect the situation. Some people even abandon other plans to throw themselves headlong into finding or creating solutions.
What if we could all use what we already have to be a part of the solution? What if all it took was a little organization and planning or just a bit of repurposing? I’m reminded of a song that says, “What’s that you have in your hand? I can use it, if you’re willing to lose it. Take the little you have and make it grand. I am El Shaddai and I’ll more than supply your need.” I would credit the author but I don’t know who wrote it; it was recorded by Truth. I also think about the church of Acts and how they held all they had in common. Then I think about the people I know and how many gifts and talents there are among us. Because there doesn’t seem to be much money, we can feel very poor. But if we pool our resources, there is such wealth among us.
With what cause do you start - the homeless, orphans, unwed mothers, the sick, or those who have material things but are lovesick, which can lead to a greater pain than being in material need? How do you focus with so many crying out around you? It’s overwhelming enough to make you want to bury your head in the ground (or your own circle of friends) and revert back to your ignorant bliss.
Today, I think we can start with awareness. Let us open our eyes and truly see what is around us. It is easy to zoom in on the visibly needy, but let’s pan out and see the variety of desperation around us. We can tune our ears to the silent cries of the hearts we encounter. We can look at what the city we live in offers up for lifestyle and begin to dream of how to offer our own gifts to enhance the quality of life for those who dwell among us. We can become the prophetic voice crying out in the wilderness saying, “Look here, remember this, go there, offer yourself.” The watchman is all about awareness. How can you discern or understand if you have no knowledge? And what good is knowledge if you don’t understand or employ discernment? But today let’s start by shaking the sleep out of ourselves, just as you would try to wake your leg up from its numbness, and become alive to all that is around us. Be on the lookout and we will find more than pain, depravity, and utter need. I believe we will see the goodness of the Lord and begin to receive the wisdom to string knowledge, understanding and discernment into strategy.
Check out my friend Jeff's blog for a little jolt: http://visterra.blogspot.com/
But hurrah for the images and stories that haunt us; not letting us remain unchanged. They force us to become involved either by pushing them out of our minds over and over or taking small steps to affect the situation. Some people even abandon other plans to throw themselves headlong into finding or creating solutions.
What if we could all use what we already have to be a part of the solution? What if all it took was a little organization and planning or just a bit of repurposing? I’m reminded of a song that says, “What’s that you have in your hand? I can use it, if you’re willing to lose it. Take the little you have and make it grand. I am El Shaddai and I’ll more than supply your need.” I would credit the author but I don’t know who wrote it; it was recorded by Truth. I also think about the church of Acts and how they held all they had in common. Then I think about the people I know and how many gifts and talents there are among us. Because there doesn’t seem to be much money, we can feel very poor. But if we pool our resources, there is such wealth among us.
With what cause do you start - the homeless, orphans, unwed mothers, the sick, or those who have material things but are lovesick, which can lead to a greater pain than being in material need? How do you focus with so many crying out around you? It’s overwhelming enough to make you want to bury your head in the ground (or your own circle of friends) and revert back to your ignorant bliss.
Today, I think we can start with awareness. Let us open our eyes and truly see what is around us. It is easy to zoom in on the visibly needy, but let’s pan out and see the variety of desperation around us. We can tune our ears to the silent cries of the hearts we encounter. We can look at what the city we live in offers up for lifestyle and begin to dream of how to offer our own gifts to enhance the quality of life for those who dwell among us. We can become the prophetic voice crying out in the wilderness saying, “Look here, remember this, go there, offer yourself.” The watchman is all about awareness. How can you discern or understand if you have no knowledge? And what good is knowledge if you don’t understand or employ discernment? But today let’s start by shaking the sleep out of ourselves, just as you would try to wake your leg up from its numbness, and become alive to all that is around us. Be on the lookout and we will find more than pain, depravity, and utter need. I believe we will see the goodness of the Lord and begin to receive the wisdom to string knowledge, understanding and discernment into strategy.
Check out my friend Jeff's blog for a little jolt: http://visterra.blogspot.com/
posted by Misty Bradley | 2:41 PM
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