What if you were touched by a need?
What if you felt guilty?
What if it made you sad?
What if it was hard and uncomfortable?
What if it changed you?
What if it called you to sacrifice?
So what?
Taking a first step is hard. Opening a door can be as scary as closing one. Choosing the path less taken may have the harshest valleys or the most breathtaking mountaintop vistas.
It’s easier to follow the path laid out for us. We know what lies ahead. Not every detail or exact timing, but we know the pattern. It’s comforting even if it’s less than the best. We accept it rather than risk the unknown.
In the popular business book, Good to Great, Jim Collins says, “Good is the enemy of great…Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.”
Sometimes we’re afraid to upset the balance. We don’t want to crack the door an inch because we’re afraid it will burst wide open and we won’t like what we find. We’ll see too much, hear too much, and feel too much. It’s easier to be content when overwhelming need is out of sight in some far away place.
If we start to get too involved, we’ll be too overwhelmed. We can’t solve world hunger or human trafficking or animal cruelty or homelessness. We have a good life. Why punish ourselves by feeling sad and guilty over things out of our control?
Its not your job to feed the world, free every person in slavery, rescue every abused animal or find a home for everyone who is homeless. It’s not any one person’s job. It’s a community’s job. We are a community of believers. Even if you aren’t a Christian, we’re a global community of humans, each with a small part that adds up to a big difference.
It doesnt have to be overwhelming. You can change the world without becoming a pauper. You can save a life, or ten, or a hundred, and still enjoy a family vacation or your $4 latte. Helping others, loving them, doesn’t mean your world will turn upside down and you will be out of sync with your friends, family, and culture.
Then again, so what if it did?
What if every scary or unpleasant thing actually happened?
What if your heart broke for those malnourished children overseas?
So what? That pain will be a distant memory compared to the joy of sponsorship and seeing that child’s smile as they grow up healthy and receive an education–because of you.
What if you feel guilty when you see that beggar on the corner?
So what? That guilt is so easily replaced by love when you offer them a meal and spend 30 minutes talking to them like a person over the $5 value meal from the fast food chain across the street.
What if you feel convicted to buy a 3-year-old used car (instead of the new one you’ve been eyeing) so you can pledge more monthly to the community food pantry?
So what? You just invested in your neighbors’ lives. Compare that return on investment with a car that depreciates 10% the minute it drives of the lot.
What if your friends and family think you’re too radical about caring for others?
So what? Your new perspective may be uncomfortable for them but they’ll still love you. Show some grace and patience and don’t judge anyone. They’ll recognize your good intentions and be proud of you. Maybe they’ll even slowly start to come with you to volunteer or to give a little more frequently to the greatest community need.
There’s nothing wrong with driving a new car and I don’t expect anyone to give to every charity or person in need.
Take a minute to look at the everyday opportunities you have to help. Think about all the “what ifs” that make you hesitant to get involved.
Then say, So what?
