The Experiment
At the dinner table my son and I were talking about current events. You know, things like politics, the environment, corporate greed. But as usual, we did not see things the same way.
For him, the world is depressing. "There is nothing I can do about it. This is why I hate people so much!"
For me, the world is full of opportunity. "Not everyone is like that. Not everyone is completely selfish. There are exceptions." But when he challenged me to name a few, I was hard pressed to come up with ones that really mattered to him.
It was then that I realized that I needed to find some solid examples in order to prove what I knew was true, namely that any one of us can change the world for the better. Our world. Right here. Right now.
We don't have to wait for someone else to start it, or for some organizational initiative, or major government funding to become available. We only need to pay attention to the needs around us and the prompting of our hearts to step out in faith and do something. Anything... to make a positive difference.
I have a favorite verse that has often inspired me that ends with the following phrase, "Against such things there is no law." What are such things? They are the fruit of the Spirit.
• "Love, joy, peace..." more of these can certainly make a difference!
• "Patience, kindness, goodness..." these are difficult to do.
• "Faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." well none of us do any of these perfectly.
...but we can at least try because "Against such things there is no law."
So what am I waiting for? What's stopping me?
I went on to explain what I was thinking to my son. He was dubious. If only I could bring out some examples - stories about people selflessly doing things to make a positive difference out of love, with joy, etc. And an idea was born. I decided right then to create a web site where people like my son could go to learn about the positive things people are doing to change the world.
"What URL should I use?" I asked. "Against such things there is no law?" Too long. Not compelling.
My son smiled and said, "There is no law."
Hmm. Clever! Even compelling.
That evening I searched for it. It was available!
And the experiment was begun!
