I Have A Dream...

Four simple words started a speech that changed the world. Said by a man that was out to change the world as he knew it. Changing the world is a goal often attributed to people who did great things, people who defied the box they lived in, who fought for freedom, truth, and the like. They are great people, Met by cheering crowds and adoring followers.

 

However, therein lies a problem. By putting these people up on a pedestal, we begin to think that there is no way we (the "normal" populace) can do the same. But when you really start to think about it, these people are "normal" to (note: normal is in quotes because who can say what normal really is?) I mean, who was Oprah way back when? A nobody. Bill Gates? He was (no offence Bill) just a tech geek with bad hygene. - (I would use Nelson Mandela, but he's special...) - Albert Einstein, George Washington, Chris Columbus, Lester Pearson, even Hitler in his own sick and twisted way... none of them were born any greater than any of us. They just took hold of a vision and ran with it. Some changed the world accidentally, some on purpose, and some in a way they weren’t aiming for. At the same time, the things they did were big enough to launch them into the limelight.

 

These well known “world changers” and their deeds aren’t unique. The world is changed every day, on a constant basis, but most of the time in ways that wouldn’t register on the Richter scale of world events. But those actions are like ripples on the water, or the beginning of a run of dominoes. Events can be set in motion that can get bigger and bigger as time goes on.

 

I heard a great example of this on The Rest of The Story with Paul Harvey a little while ago. Bear with me, as my memory is a little sketchy about all the details, but I’ll give you the rough outline. The story was about a young adult in the States who basically played chaperone for his friends. More importantly, he was a Christian. It came to pass that there was a tent revival in a nearby town (thus dating the story) and this guy (I forget his name, so I’ll call him Demetrius) decides to invite some of his friends to go. After much coercing, he manages to convince some of his friends to go. Well, one guy in particular goes and is totally affected and transformed by what he hears. Even in that, Demetrius has totally changed the world. But here is where the ripples come in to play. The guy’s name? You may recognize it, because it is the name of one of the biggest evangelists in Christendom today. Billy Graham. You want to talk world changing or what??!? And it was kicked off by the small action of Demetrius inviting his friend out. Wow.

 

All this leads up to one question: How? How do we actually go about changing the world? I think in the end it all comes back to leadership. I’ve already written about leadership, so I won’t beat a dead horse (or bet on one…lol, Relient K). But I will say that leadership can really be broken down into setting an example and the kind of example you set. So, how do you change the world? Through the actions you make and the example you set. After that, the ripples are in God’s hands.

 

On Doctor Who the other night the Doctor stated that “every man has the ability to change the world. I totally believe that. I have a dream… to change the world.

 

Are you in?

 

Michael

---

By the grace of God
Job.33.23-28