There are many times I have felt like Matthew West in his song, "Do Something." There's a whole lot wrong with the world both near and far, but what can I do about it? Surely someone else will take care of what needs taking care of, and if not, surely God will do something about it. Of course, this line of reasoning assumes far too many things. It assumes that the world is too big and bad for any one person to impact, when in fact we can do anything through the strength and power of Christ. It assumes that some mythical, magical group of unseen folks out there will take care of business, when in fact we as the body of Christ are tasked with loving others and sharing the life-changing Gospel. And it assumes that God hasn't already done something about it. As Matthew West points out, He created you and me.
I think for most of us, we "do something" frequently and don't realize it, because we think what we've done doesn't matter. Or we refrain from doing something "small" because we believe it won't make a big enough difference. But the truth is that in every moment, we have the opportunity to share love, to encourage someone, to pray, or to serve others. In every moment, we have the opportunity to glorify God and there is no "small" way of doing that.
Last week, I was part of a rather tense, somewhat confrontational two-day meeting away from home that required me to spend the night in a hotel. The morning of the second day, I got in the elevator of the hotel to head to my car, dreading the day ahead. To make matters worse, the largest instigator of these confrontational meetings boarded the same elevator at the same time - and boldly asked for a ride. I agreed, despite feeling reluctant to share my car and spare time with a man I don't know well and who makes me uncomfortable. I swallowed my pride and told him that although we don't agree on most matters, I appreciate his honesty. He said the same of me. I then told him that sometimes it's hard, but the best advice for dealing with people I've heard comes from my pastor, which is to love people and tell them the truth. The man looked at me and asked in what sounded like a challenging tone, "Are you a Christian?" I replied in the affirmative and held my breath. Much to my surprise and delight, we spent the next 20 minutes talking about God. By the time we arrived at our meeting site, we were laughing - a prospect that seemed impossible just the day before.
World hunger was not cured, nor were crimes against humanity halted by this man and me having a conversation in my car. But differences were bridged, kindness overcame hardness, and God was glorified. It was an opportunity to "do something," and by the grace of God, it was not wasted.
Let's take Matthew West's challenge to do something. Between now and Sunday, I challenge each of us to do something to glorify God, something that we're not already doing, something that perhaps takes us outside our comfort zone. Remember that nothing is too small or insignificant when Jesus is at the heart of it. The first three people who share what they did here or on Facebook will receive a special something in worship on Sunday, May 18th!
