My heart is heavy as I read news updates on my phone. The news I read is traumatizing. Things I can’t un-see and stories I can’t un-know. Some days I’ve gotten used to the headlines and other days my heart feels like it’s simply going to burst.
Perhaps, you know the issues. Headlines are flooding your mind right now. Visuals that are building tension in your shoulders. Moments that are quickening your pulse. Shootings. Divisive words. Children in danger.
What can we do? How can we get involved? Does what I do matter?
If I’m honest, it’s easy to feel really small. Things I do can feel insignificant. If it’s small how can I know it’s making an impact? Or shouldn’t I be doing more?
What I’m learning is, it doesn’t need to be big to be profound.
I went to a conference last month and I heard these words from speaker Lysa TerKeurst as I stopped by between sessions. “It doesn’t have to be big to be profound.” My head and heart thought – yes! And I wrote those words down.
What we choose to fill our days with matters.
We know the headlines that impact us. Let’s focus on our restless hearts. We feel too small to make a difference. Paralyzed by the magnitude of the issues, we stop here. Instead of doing something, we don’t do anything at all.
Our restless hearts are trying to tell us something. This is personal to each one of us. God is moving in your heart in different ways than mine, friends. We have different circles of influence, different skills, and different passions. I believe if we listen in, we can take our next step.
1) Listen to Your Tears
That lump in your throat might be trying to tell you something. Author Emily P. Freeman calls tears “tiny messengers” and vulnerable secret keepers delivering important messages. Knowing what makes you cry can be a powerful tool. It could be a link to your purpose or a clue to what God is doing in your life right now. And maybe, just maybe, they might tell you where your compassion can move to action. I’ve been paying attention to what makes me cry for the past few years and just this year, I found a thread.
2) Look Around You
Maybe these headlines are hitting your emotions hard, but you don’t know how to fix a global problem of racism, violence, equal opportunity, or poverty. Look around where you are. What are your current roles? Think about your home, workplace, and community. Do you influence decisions in your workplace? Do you decide where to spend money for your household? Are you creating art, words, or music? Are you socially active in a community? It’s likely somewhere you are already a decision maker or culture influencer. Look for ways for the issues you care about to integrate into your existing routine.
3) Take a Small Step
What you are skilled with matters. God wants your heart, but also your head, schedule, time, and talents. How are national issues handled in your neighborhood? Does that non-profit you support have any needs? Do the research you’ve been wondering about. Don’t look down on small steps. They are the first step in a new direction.
Let me propose the question again: Does what I do matter? Yes, indefinitely yes. How we spend our time, what we think and talk about, and how we spend our resources matter. Small acts are profound. Small acts count.
This question is a bit harder to answer: What can I do?
I can’t answer that question for you (although, I’d love to be sitting across the table from you learning your answers!). When our compassion is moved to action, different things happen for each of us. I do know it’s worth a try to start somewhere. Looking inward, looking around, and taking a small step is worth starting the journey.
Friends, I’d love to hear from you. Knowing it doesn’t have to be big to be profound, what could your next step be?
This is really encouraging. What we think about and talk about does matter! The more I talk about issues that on my mind, the more real they are, and the more I feel called to action. I’ve been down on myself a bit because “all I’ve done” is make a small monthly donation, but it’s kept the issues I’m donating towards in my mind.
Thank you for sharing, Christa! Making donations are definitely helpful to organizations. I believe it’s okay to feel like we can do ‘more,’ while holding the tension of knowing that we can’t do ‘everything’ at the same time.
Very relevant, and a gracious reminder that we ought not to feel like what we do is futile. Thank you Andrea!
Also, when it comes to the question “What could your next step be”? I discovered there is a volunteer opportunity through my choir for community outreach, especially in schools. I fit the requirements and I signed up. Something that I would love to do, but usually there is a pang of, “What if I can’t commit?” “What if something comes up?” I decided to just sign up, and not let my fears of “What if?” steal an opportunity. So, thank you for the encouraging reminder!
Love this, Chantal! What a great ‘step’ forward toward something you care about!
I just don’t think Jesus ever intends for us to feel bad for not doing enough, or donating enough. As you stated at the end of your article, Andrea, one small step is all that’s necessary to begin creating our own contribution towards helping others. What constitutes a small step will vary, from person to person, depending on our abilities, but comparing ourselves to another’s contributions is folly. You suggested going within, Andrea, and that’s where Jesus can make everything right. Our Lord doesn’t measure our worth. He loves everything about us, we are told, but it is a difficult concept for us to conceive. We “measure spiritual things with a finite yardstick.”
Linda
Thank you for sharing, Linda! I totally agree – God doesn’t measure or worth on what we do. He simply loves US. And I love that – we measure spiritual things with a finite yardstick. So true!