Finding the Fire

Yesterday's post, Missing Out on Dessert, was all about finding those things that excite you, then doing them. And I wasn't referring to sky-diving, either, although if that's your thing, have at it. :)

Today we are going to look at the flipside...what breaks your heart. We all have our reasons for wanting to reach the world. Some of us want the world to go green, and we spend all our energy trying to live sustainable lives. Some of us want the world to go vegan and we spend lots of dollars and time trying to live in a way that causes no harm to any other living thing. Wheat not included. Unless you are a gluten-intolerant vegan, I suppose.

Anyhoo.

I got off to kind of a silly start because it's late and I've been watching Duck Dynasty all night, but this post has been rolling around in my head all day and it's not a silly topic at all.

We all have those things that break our hearts. . . those things that make us shudder and say something needs to be done NOW. I have a book called Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels, and while this isn't an official book review, you're probably going to want a copy.

He helps us to identify the things that ignite a "firestorm of personal frustration" and consider the dramatic impact your life will have when you convert the frustration of your holy discontent into fuel for changing the world. Maybe God is waiting for someone to get as ticked off about something as He is. Maybe He's waiting for someone just like you.

I don't believe it has to be a holier-than-thou soapbox either. This isn't about coming up with a huge idea of how to save the world, but looking for that thing that calls your name...

Battling hopelessness may not sound like much, but it makes me feel like Don Quixote and the windmill sometimes. When people are without hope, they behave differently. Decisions don't matter anymore. How they respond to life changes. Morale drops. And then it spreads like a cancer until the person next to them feels like everything is futile. Nothing matters anyway. It's...hopeless.

Giving a little hope infusion can change things. I realize it's not exactly solving world hunger or ending the AIDS epidemic in Africa, but bringing hope to people can change someone's day and that can have far-reaching consequences. At the very least, it changes the present reality to one that is a little less bleak. That has to count for something. Ultimately, I pray that it is a way to introduce someone to Jesus, the Giver of all hope.

Bringing the hope of Christ is what fuels almost everything I do. It's what lead me to stay at Whittier and be their PTO president. Bringing hope to those who need it is what pushed me to publish my book and call the series Hope Speaks. Bringing hope is what drives me to share my story, even the ugly parts. It is what compels me to look the homeless guy in the eye and say good morning when the rest of the world looks away. Engaging at the level of my holy discontent takes on many faces but the catalyst is the same.

So, like yesterday when I challenged you to think of what makes you come alive, today I am challenging you to consider what breaks your heart. God may be waiting for you to realize what that thing is, and when you do, He will unleash the fire of holy discontent in you. Who knows where that will lead?