What if everyone?

"What if everyone". These were the three words that were printed across an envelope that was being handed to me as I stood in a Food Lion parking lot... "If you would like, here's a $20 gas gift card." Who has ever said those words to you without there being fine print? Or didn't come with regulations, meaning you had to sign up, get involved, or share your second cousin’s step mom's phone number? Not many people. But there was this guy and three kids standing in front of me with the sincerest smiles on their faces. Hesitant, I took the envelope and naturally asked more about the organization.  

 “What If Everyone (WIE) partners with local churches, businesses and organizations to serve the community. Our desire is to imagine “what if everyone” volunteered in their community in a practical way.  Our vision is to ignite a desire in people to use their skills and passion to serve those in need all around them.  WIE offers one-time as well as ongoing opportunities.”

http://www.whatifeveryone.com/#/home

As I mulled the newly found information in my head I couldn't help but be skeptical. Who would give a random stranger a $20 gas gift card? What made him approach me? Was there really a card in this envelope? Was there money on this gift card? Even though the questions swirled around in my head I couldn't help but thank God. 

As I thought about the blessing and this organization I was saddened that I was blinded by my skepticism. There is so much evil that is pressing in our world that we become “turned off” to the fact that there are people in this world that have pure hearts. There are people who seek to pour out their love, time, and energy to be a blessing to others.  When we do happen to come across organizations and people who seek to serve others we tend to say, There’s still a few good people in this world”, as if they were all washed off the face of the earth.

There are good people in this world; we must highlight them and replicate that goodness so that our light repels the darkness. Let us begin to outweigh the darkness that seeks to consume the world and us.  Mahatma Gandhi says, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.…We need not wait to see what others do.”

So let us “be the change that we want to see in the world”. Let us change the world through our actions. We can only get there if we all take that step, a step that will begin to change the attitude of this world.  We cannot simply keep talking about change and how this world is currently. We must be the change. Lets not push off the efforts on those who we think can handle the job, or think that the next generation will pick up the slack. Start today and stir up such a change and disturbance of good that people will be itching to be a part.

What if everyone took that step today…