And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.(2 Corinthians 8: 10-12)
I never drive anywhere without listening to music. One day as I was driving, the song “I’d Love to Change the World” by the rock group Ten Years After came on the radio. I started to sing along, but then realized, perhaps for the first time ever, what the lyrics were saying:
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
The songwriter spoke of all the problems in the world, and of our general inability to solve them. The song dates back to the Vietnam War era, but the problems persist today. It’s likely that many people feel the same despair – if I can’t solve all the problems, there’s no point in trying. I’ll leave it up to you… I was tremendously bothered by the negativity of this song, and it ate at me all day, until I found another, more hopeful song, by the Eagles, whose lyrics encourage us to “Do Something”:
So I'll leave it up to you
The songwriter spoke of all the problems in the world, and of our general inability to solve them. The song dates back to the Vietnam War era, but the problems persist today. It’s likely that many people feel the same despair – if I can’t solve all the problems, there’s no point in trying. I’ll leave it up to you… I was tremendously bothered by the negativity of this song, and it ate at me all day, until I found another, more hopeful song, by the Eagles, whose lyrics encourage us to “Do Something”:
I pick up the morning paper
All the news is bad
How did we get on this road we're traveling?
And when I feel like giving up
And there's nowhere left to go
That's the time I dig down deep, the only thing I know
Do something, do something
Don't leave it up to someone else
Don't feel sorry for yourself
Why don't you do something? Do something
How did we get on this road we're traveling?
And when I feel like giving up
And there's nowhere left to go
That's the time I dig down deep, the only thing I know
Do something, do something
Don't leave it up to someone else
Don't feel sorry for yourself
Why don't you do something? Do something
I believe that this was Paul’s message to the Corinthians, as well. Whatever our means, we must act. Even a small effort, made with a loving and serving heart, will make a difference in this troubled world. Let’s find a way to serve, whether it’s donating an hour of time once a week or cleaning out an over-stuffed closet or garage and donating those items to a charity. Small efforts are better than none, and may lead others to act, as well. Do something.(Theresa Antes)
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