Wake Up

"Wake up oh sleeper, rise from the dead,  and Christ will shine on you" (Eph. 5:14).

Outside of trying to get my kids up for school, it amazes me how many people seem to walk through life in a daze, clueless to what is going on all around them. I'm not talking about the political climate, social injustice or even our current economic malaise - its our apathy and indifference to people who are hurting. I'm not talking about earthqauke victims in Haiti or starving children in Somalia, I'm talking about the guy next door, down the street, or the person sitting next to you at church.

I struggle with a growing indifference towards organized efforts to  "save the world." I have seen sinful amounts of money spent on bureaucratic waste, and religious and nonprofit leadership become mired in their own self-interest. I think we have reached a point in our society where we need a good dose of "good samaritan" teaching.

I am tired of hearing about budget deficits or why we can't do more to help our communities. It's time to wake up and realize the tremendous power of the individual. If you want to change the world for the better here are a few suggestions.

• Take a few minutes out of your day to call someone you know is hurting and just stop and listen.
• Forget about the "What's in it for me" philosophy that cripples our ability to really help another persons.
• Devote a little time to get to know your neighbors. I have lived in my new home since April and beyond the cursory "hi, how ya doin,"  I don't know any of my neighbors. I haven't had them in my home, asked if they need anything, my sole good work in my community the last 6 months has been to stake up a tree for my next door neighbor while he was out of town.

We need to wake up!!! Politicians are promising to fix our economy, to help the down trodden, that no child will be left behind. Religious organizations develop programs, set budgets and recruit workers, but you can change a life. You can make a difference right now, today. Just by picking up the telephone, walking over to your neighbor's house, paying a visit to a widow or widower - you change the world one person at time.

If you haven't figured it out, I am a little tired of the platitudes and promises, vision statements and P.R. campaigns. I think it is time we got back to a country where each man helps his neighbor. A place where we don't depend on some organized dysfunction to try to fix what is wrong with our society. It is time for each us to make a difference where it counts - with the people we interact with (or should interact with) each day.