Welcome to week 2 of Fasting Fridays. It has been a struggle to figure out when and where to post these articles. Forgive me while I’m finding my feet on this effort.
Today I’ve been thinking about procrastination. We all know there are things we ought to do to make an impact on the world around us, but the pressures of life mean that we put it off for another day, another week and another month. I get caught up in my own troubles and find I have little mind-space left over to think about the troubles of others.
But in a real sense, that is what we are here for. The impact that we have on the world is really the impact that we have on other people. And the key is empathy, to feel the pain of our brothers and sisters.
That is the core of Fasting Fridays. To empathize with those around us. But now, having empathy for those that are hungry or weak, what do we do with that energy?
Too many times, the answer is that we leave it at empathy. We don’t take the next action because it feels too heavy, it feels we can’t defeat this great monster with an army of 1 so we don’t even try. The thing is though, just one person taking an action is more like the first rocks rolling in an avalanche. The people you touch, the people you impact will continue to impact others until there is a great avalanche that nothing can withstand.
That brings me to the concept of action. Early in my entrepreneurial journey, I learned the lesson of imperfect action, the idea that even if an action is not perfect in its execution, any action (however tenuous) towards your goal starts you on a path to that final desired outcome. You are unlikely to have a perfect idea that is going to address world hunger tomorrow. But if you wait for that perfect idea, tomorrow may never come.
“And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many good things stored up, enough for many years; rest and relax, eat, drink and be merry’. But God said to him ‘You fool! This very night, your soul is required of you, and now who will own the things you have prepared’”
Luke 12 : 19-20
There is no point in storing up riches for ourselves beyond what is reasonable for us to live. There is no point in leaving for tomorrow what we ought to do today. There is no point to living without impact thinking you will do it some day (when my kids have gone to college, when I’m married, when, I’m older, whatever the excuse is). Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. There is not one that knows when we will die.
So take action. Take a small action. Maybe for now, just donate to a cause. I’m planning to start a list of organizations that are doing good work. But don’t stop there. Keep advancing, giving money is only a first step. Put your hands to good work, continue the journey to living an authentic life full of purpose.
I leave you (those of you walking a faith journey) with this video of John Piper from earlier days. It is his famous “Seashells” speech. It is said that a whole generation of young people dedicated their lives to impact from hearing this one speech. May it have an impact on your heart.
God Bless!