Change IS Possible

“You don’t change the world with the ideas in your mind, but with the conviction in your heart.”

Bryan Stephenson

When you look around at the world, what do you see?

Do you see hopelessness? Do you see a world that is either not changing at all or is changing in the wrong direction?

Or do you see hope? Do you see possibility and the ripples of positive change emerging from the pond of life?

Honestly, I find my self on both sides of this question from time to time. I more tend to believe the positive, but there are times when I grow weary of things I see and hear in the world – things like unnecessary violence, unfair judgement, and lack of unity within the communities in which we live locally and globally.

But then I see people who are making a difference, and I realize there is still hope – still real potential for change that makes a difference.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

Barack Obama

On Friday night, Leanne and I went to see Just Mercy starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. We had listened to Just Mercy, the book by Bryan Stephenson, over the holidays, and we were looking forward to seeing the movie.

Bryan Stephenson is a graduate from Harvard’s law school. Upon graduating from Harvard, he left his home in Delaware to move to Alabama where he started Equal Justice Initiative, an organization dedicated to finding and fighting for justice for those who have been wrongly convicted or punished excessively.

Stephenson has sacrificed financial success and personal safety to follow the conviction of his heart. His action and advocacy has led to the reversal of several convictions of those wrongly accused of murder. For more about Brian Stephenson and his work, I’d encourage you to check out the Just Mercy the book, Just Mercy the movie, and the website for Equal Justice Initiative.

What do you believe in your heart? What ideas in your head have been sitting dormant? Which ideas in your head need to become convictions in your heart? What action do you need to take TODAY to change the world?

You won’t change something in yourself unless the idea in your head moves into your heart. Similarly, you won’t change your community or the world unless the ideas in your head move into your heart.

One of the reasons I continue to go to Guatemala is because of the conviction of my heart. I feel called in the depths of my soul – in my heart – to help be a catalyst for positive change for those who need a home.

What is your Guatemala? What is your Equal Justice Initiative? What is the next step you need to take to cause change? What are you waiting for?

CHANGE IS POSSIBLE!

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi