“Let him that would move the world, first move himself.” –Socrates
This past week marked the beginning of Advent, a season that includes an anticipation for the time when the world will be made right—when all the things we long for in the world are finally realized. A time when justice prevails over injustice, when love triumphs over hate, when evil is vanquished and true goodness reigns.
And although we do well to long for such things, what should we be doing while we wait? Is it enough to simply hope? Or are there steps we can be taking?
One important step we can all take is to first examine our own lives and make sure we’re living in alignment with what we say we hope for. If I say I long for justice, I need to confirm that I’m dealing justly. If I say I desire to see goodness and generosity, it’s important to make sure I’m practicing these very same things.
Because although we cannot fix the world’s problems on our own, we can still choose to embody the values we say we long for—allowing the hope of what will one day be motivate us to live these values out now—choosing to live into the future instead of being content simply to wait.
H/T to @ryanyazel at Keller Park Church for a recent message dealing with this topic.