I’ve been on a When Calls the Heart mood lately, and I so love this from a recent episode I had watched:
“Bad things happen if good people do nothing.”
I’ve heard it said that sometimes the worst thing that a person can do is nothing at all. I have seen others gossip and speak negatively about someone…and stood silent in fear of being rejected, or of saying the wrong thing. I have watched others get bullied, and either the people around join in on the fun or others stand and do nothing…in fear of being bullied themselves. We hear of abortion clinics killing life that our dear Creator brought into this world–-(“He supplies life and breath and all things to every living being” Acts 17:25a), but we don’t think it’s our business, or the issue is just simply too deep. So we turn a blind eye, believing someone else is fighting that battle. We as a nation have so much fear built around us and through us that we would rather save our own skin than those of the brother next to us.
Aren’t we tired of living this way? I know I am.
In that specific episode of When Calls the Heart, there was a new teacher replacement, of the small but charming town of Hope Valley, who believed children were best taught through discipline and repetition. The teacher singled out a student who was not holding her pencil the correct way, and in front of everyone, each time she held her pencil wrong, he would snatch it from her hand and break it in half. As the teacher continued to bully the child, who at this point was in tears, a boy spoke up and said, “Leave her alone.” The teacher sharply glanced around, demanding who had spoken. The courageous boy stood up, saying, “I did. Miss Thatcher says bad things happen if good people do nothing. And what you’re doing to Emily is bad.” The teacher sternly tells the boy to sit down, but the boy fights back, saying, “No, I won’t let you do this to her anymore.” He walks over to Emily, takes her by the hand, and leaves the classroom. The rest of the students file out as well, leaving the teacher shocked and indignant.
God has equipped us to do great and wonderful things, to shine His light into the dark and formidable places of this world, to help and love our neighbors, and to stand up against the injustices of this world—so long we allow Him to lead us and we’re not taking the reigns by ourselves.
As people called to love our neighbors, we can “do something”. I realize there are times that the Lord asks us to be patient with Him and to be still, and our job in that moment is to pray. As we do this, God is developing and molding us to be able to handle any task that He has for us. But don’t think for even a second that we aren’t doing something when we pray, because we are! We are standing in the gap on behalf of the other person by praying for them. To me, there is nothing more effective—and powerful—than a praying warrior on his knees gaining insight and guidance from the Lord on what to do next.
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16
There is a popular song by Matthew West called “Do Something” that I have taken the liberty of posting below. Check it out!
As Matthew West points out in his song, we can shake our fists up at God all we like at the unjustices of this world, shouting, “Do something!” But the Lord says He did do something: He created me and you! So how can we do this and exemplify God’s goodness everyday of our lives? We can:
- Fight for justice (Isaiah 1:17)
- Help others (Romans 12:13)
- Support (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
- Rebuild—our relationships, someone’s home, our faith and trust in God, etc. (1 Peter 2:5)
- Advocate (Proverbs 31:8-9)
- Teach (Proverbs 9:9)
- Stand up for those who can’t speak (Proverbs 31:8-9)
- Encourage (Hebrews 10:24-25)
- Serve (Mark 9:35)
- Stop Bullying (Proverbs 22:10)
- Hug (2 Corinthians 13:12)
- Be Salt & Light (Matthew 5:13-16)
- Heal the hurting (Psalm 34:18)
- Smile 🙂 (Proverbs 15:13)
- Show Christ’s love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
- End pain (Revelation 21:4)
- Volunteer (1 Peter 4:10)
- Forgive (Ephesians 4:31-32)
- Impact (Matthew 5:16)
- Be the City on a Hill (Matthew 5:14)
- LOVE (Matthew 22:36-40)
- Champion a cause (Psalm 82:3)
- Give generously (Luke 6:38)
- Care (Romans 12:10)
- Act—morale goodness in action! (Colossians 3:12-17)
- Don’t just be a flame, be a FIRE! (Romans 12:11)
- Be uplifting (Romans 15:2)
- Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-6)
- Plant seeds of hope (Jeremiah 29:11)
- Be the hands & feet (Mark 10:45)
- Share the gospel (John 3:16/Matthew 28:19-20)
- PRAY (Jeremiah 29:12)
- Console the lost (Matthew 5:3)
- Listen (James 1:19)
- Be the one who stands up and says, “I’m going to do something.”
My question to you is: What are some things in your life that you can do today that will make the world a better place tomorrow?
UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
The Lorax
