Are people a part of our perspective of the world? They must be, because I hear folks say all the time that the world is a bad place due to things like rape, murder, abuse, etc. If we remove people from our perspective of the world, what is left? It looks to me like we have an entire planet with nothing more than trees, animals, bodies of water, clouds, etc. On the other hand, I hear Christian folks say that the world is a bad place due to sin. If I were to walk down the street and ask the average Christian where sin comes from, these are a few answers I would get:
"Sin comes from the devil."
"Sin comes from the choices people make."
"Sin comes from bad people."
Lets take a look at the first statement. If sin comes only from the devil, as if he is the root of all sin, should the Christian be held accountable for any sins he/she does? After all, the devil was the one who made them sin. This is the "devil made me do it" mentality. Reguardless of the factor of persuasion, the choice comes down to the person. The person has the choice.
Lets look at the second statement. If sin comes only from the choices people make, can we have sin in the world without people? I'd say we can. Where did some of the angels go when God cast lucifer out of heaven? Interesting, isn't it. Once again though, I see a factor of persausion. People still have the ability to choose. It's called free-will.
Now lets take a look at the last statement. If sin comes from bad people and romans says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, does this mean all people are bad? The word "bad" is a controversial word. In genesis when God created man he said that it was good. I think a better way of saying that sin comes from "bad" people is to say, all people have been wrong at one time or another. There isn't a single person who has never been wrong, done wrong, or behaved wrongly other than Jesus Christ.
I think it would be safe to say though, the average person's perspective of the world does infact include the people around them. It includes the choices people make, the words people speak, and the consequences that follow. Yes, this does still mean that the bad in the world is due to sin, but you can't have the sin without the people or factors of persausion.
This must mean that the average person's concept of the word "world" must include the human race. If so, to someone else, I am a part of their perspective of the world. It means you are a part of someone else's perspective of the world. Scary isn't it? Suddenly all this sitting around talking about the bad in the world has become a part of our responsibility to make changes. It makes guys like Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, Abe lincoln, etc not look so high and mighty. They were just normal people like you and I who saw a need and took responsibility. What makes us think we are any different? Are we afraid to speak up? Do we think we are not capable of such changes? Do we think we don't have the resources or proper training? Certainly not. We all have abilities, talents, and resources. Sometimes we just don't know what they are. That is where guys like Einstein come in handy. Einstein said, "Logic will get you from A to Z. Imagination will get you everywhere." That is all I want to do. I want to use my imagination and find ways to use the abilities and resources I have already been given to make an impact on the people around me in their perspective on the world.
These are my resolutions for 2012.
1.Write encouraging letters to people from my childhood.
2. Get a notebook, each night plan good deeds for random folks, then check those deeds off my list as I do them the next day. (keep this up for an entire month)
3. Each day try to compliment someone. Add another person for everyday. By the end of the
year I have to compliment 365 ppl in just that one day.
4. Find little ways to remind my Parents that I love them.
5. Write anonymous letters of encouragement to people I go to college with.
6. Hug my roommate a little more often.
7. Volunteer for the prayer team at my church.
8. Write letters to the lonely and elderly people I know.
9. Mentor a girl (if she wants) who is younger than me.
10. Find an older woman to mentor me.
11. Start a small group called Courageous. Work together with my friends while we learn to step out of our comfort zones and speak life to people. Proverbs 18:21, "Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose." Take weekly trips to public places, split up, everybody has to meet someone, learn something about them, and encourage them.
12. give people a reason to smile again.
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