Shaken and Stirred

Posted by: L.E.S. on: January 15, 2015

• In: Everyday Life | Faith
• 4 Comments

The character of James Bond is known to like his martinis shaken and not stirred.

Is that how we like our lives?

Situations and events may shake us. They may throw our world off balance for a while. The real question is whether they stir us to pray and work for change.

Seeing people living in terrible conditions—as the Founding Director of Ratanak International, Brian McConaghy, did when he visited Cambodian refugee camps in the 1980s—are we moved to help?

Reading about domestic violence in Canada, are we motivated us to raise awareness and support organizations that help those who want to break free?

Knowing someone battling an illness such as cancer, Crohn’s or depression, do we feel compelled to raise funds for research or treatment?

True, many situations loom too large for us to change on our own. We could shrug our shoulders and say, “What can I do? I’m just one person.” But if the Holy Spirit is calling us to make a difference, we can pray for guidance in taking our next steps and finding the people who could work with us and the resources we would need.

For example, Tom Hansen and Sandy Russell-Hansen launched the Be The Change gala to support Ratanak’s efforts to rescue children from the sex trade and teach them practical skills. Each year, this event has drawn more sponsors and attendees and raised more funds than the year before.

Not everyone is called to plan a major fundraiser. Maybe our role is on a smaller scale but no less vital:

• spearheading a letter-writing campaign to encourage legislators to take action in a matter of social justice
• completing a walkathon or race to raise funds and awareness for a charity
• organizing a clothing drive for a women’s shelter, a men’s mission or an outreach to street youth
• creating a bulletin board at church to keep parishioners informed of news on abortion, euthanasia, and other right-to-life issues
• volunteering at a soup kitchen with our parish youth group
• blogging and tweeting about issues that touch our hearts

Bob Pierce, found of World Vision International and Samaritan’s Purse, wrote this in his bible:

Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.

If we feel the same, then I pray that we would be willing to act where God calls us to and with the guidance of the Spirit.

Advertisement

Tags: Catholic, Christian, faith, God, making a difference, religion