School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. Colossians 2:7 (MSG)
Start Living – The Making A Difference Series – Part 2
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5
In our haste and passion for creating change and making a difference, we often fall into the idea that “information” equals transformation. When I was a kid, I used to think that just by telling people about Jesus, everyone would want to know him and become his follower, just like me.
But as you know, that rarely works. And in the grown-up world, we are actually keeping this practice alive.
Edward Wilson said: “We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom.”
So many of us have incredible access to information; compared to fifty years ago when people relied on the government or the news or town officials and more, for information, we can do the research ourselves. We have almost direct access to whatever information we want.
But what are doing with it?
Seth Godin says: “Formal education is a foundation, but lifelong, informal education can transform our lives.”
Information has a degree of power. It gives us choices, it arms us with knowledge, it informs our stories and gives us facts to fill in the blanks.” But information on its own rarely leads to transformation. Transformation requires wisdom, experience, and presence – the kind of informal education that living life “aware” can give you. It needs us to move beyond being a fountain of “information” and stuck into doing the work of living.
Which includes things like:
Empathy.
Curiosity.
Fear.
Failure.
Learning.
Courage.
Forgiving.
Being forgiven.
Sharing.
Generosity
Time.
Staying.
Commitment.
Grieving.
Rejoicing.
Hoping.
Believing.
Laughing.
Crying.
And more.
Information is great. Useful. It can lead us to progress and change. But to transform values or lives, you need more than just information.
And like you learn a new skill, or stockpile information, you can learn empathy, kindness, and courage. In fact, it’s by partnering with people, rather than just preaching to them, that grows these things in their lives, and inadvertently, in your own.
The way forward, beyond information and into “making a difference”, is to connect. Don’t be concerned about gathering information, but take what you know and avail yourself to the school of life.
Paul wrote to his friends in Colossi and said:
“My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.” (Col 2:6-7 MSG).
Go to Part 3 – Celebrate and Weep »
Written by Lizzy Milani
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