Do Your Good

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! I also hope y'all have had a great week - personally and professionally! :)

Last Saturday morning I woke up and my heart hurt and my spirit was troubled. Friday night my Beautiful Bride, my youngest Tender Warrior, Landry, and I had watched a movie. In the movie there is a family who lives next door to the main character of the movie and they have two teenage kids - a boy and a girl. The kids are good kids and want to do good. They all live, however, in an area where gangs are prevalent. The boy is not interested in the gangs and wants nothing to do with them. He gets harassed, beat up, etc., all because he is trying to do the right things, all because he doesn't want to be a part of the gang.

So as I sat here in my morning quiet time I became very troubled as I reflected on the movie. While the movie was fictional, what was depicted in it was very real for countless boys and girls, young men and young women, all across the world. And I thought about this, Happy Friday, and all of the messages I share on social media every day. I truly believe the things I share in Happy Friday, I learn and grow from the things I share on social media - and I hope others do as well, however I was struck by the reality that a lot of the things that I write about don't apply to everyone. There are young people across the world who are trying, desperately, to do the right thing, to make the right choices, to live their lives in a different manner...and as in the movie, evil chases them down. They are minding their own business, they are doing their best, and they are just hoping to make it through the day without someone trying to impose their will on them, to make them choose different. And while you and I have a choice, countless young men and women don't.

My heart sank as this reality slapped me in the face. I felt like a fake, like an impostor. The messages I write on Happy Friday, while I believe they are God inspired and I believe them to the depths of my sole, they don't necessarily apply to everyone. They apply to people like me. They apply to people who live in areas where they really are free to choose whatever they want for that day, without fear of 5 or 6 people rolling by my house in a car, chasing me down, trying to make me do what they want me to do. I can't even imagine what that would be like! I felt so...helpless. My heart broke thinking of the young men and women who are living that reality...EVERY DAY!

As I sat here I prayed that God would give me understanding, that He would help me make sense of all of this. When Kath and Landry got up I spoke with them about, asking them to pray for clarity in all of this. As I worked out on Saturday this issue monopolized my thoughts. On Sunday I spoke with my oldest son, Payton, about it, asking him to think and pray about it, asking for his thoughts. This whole thing was really bothering me, my heart was so heavy.

Later on Saturday my Sweet Girl, after validating my thoughts and feelings, stated she believes we are called to do the best we can where we are. There were two great revelations in speaking with Payton; 1) we were being slapped in the face with what privilege looks like, and 2) he pointed out that perhaps I am minimizing the influence we all have. It is not just about what you or I say or do, it is about the people that are influenced by the things we say and do, and then the people they influence by the things they say and do, and so on. While my words and actions might not directly impact the lives of the young men and women I am talking about, those 5 or 6 people down the line from my influence very well might be reaching those very people. Made sense...

After a week of prayer, thoughtful reflection, and insight from my precious family, I have come to two key conclusions:

1. We are all called to do the very best we can, with what we have, where we are. God did not place me in the inner city to work with the young men and women I speak of here. He has placed me, and you, where we are for a reason. I don't know why, I just fully plan to honor it every day of my life. While I can't help everyone, He has certainly placed me here to help someone. And the same for you, Friend.

2. My heart has now been awakened to this reality and I cannot change it. I have deep compassion and empathy for those whose lives are much different from mine. God has placed a burden on my heart and I will pray for these young people and those who are desperately trying to help them. My eyes and ears have been opened and I will be alert for opportunities to pour into ministries and services that serve these precious souls. This experience has changed me forever and I fully intend to lean into it. I will not let the lesson be wasted...

As I was gaining clarity throughout this week, two quotes/stories came to mind:

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." - Desmond Tutu

"Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good Morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely, then bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the ocean, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one." - Adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley

Friends, the things you and I say and do matter. No, we are not going to make a difference in every life, however, we will make a difference in some lives. I believe we are called to use our gifts and abilities to love, care for, and serve others to the very best of our ability. Doing this we have fulfilled our purpose and God will take care of the rest.

I want to share a few quotes I came across that spoke to my heart:

"It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." - St. Catherine of Siena

"No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." - Edward Everett Hale

"Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren't any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn't be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life's challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes that matter in the world come about. So be that one person." - R. Buckminster Fuller

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well.

Kev