be strong and courageous

Alrighty then. Just as I was about to start writing, four or five pressing things interrupted me and now I've lost whatever train of thought I might've had.

But I'm a good talker, so I'm sure I'll come up with something.

First of all, however, I just want to say that the sun is shining today. Actually, it broke through the clouds about an hour after I was griping about it yesterday. God's got a quirky sense of humor.

God is very dramatic. I enjoy that about him. He doesn't just give us a habitat to live in, he gives us "THE WORLD" with fantastic light shows every morning and night, weather systems that keep us on our toes, a huge variety of plants and animals (so many we haven't even discovered them all yet) and a range of personalities in people that's just about incomprehesible.

That's why I always love when God tells people in the Bible to "Be strong and courageous." He doesn't just say, "Buck up, Bucko!" or "Chin high there, Sport!" or anything like that. He smacks them across the face with a "Pull yourself together, man! This is no time for shaking in your boots! Be strong! Be courageous! I've got your back!"

That's what I love about God. He doesn't just pat us on the back and wish us luck. He locks arms with us and says, "Be strong and courageous." Not in ourselves, not in our own power, but in him. In his work in our lives. In his plan for his world.

Over the last week, I've been reading articles in a December issue of Time Magazine about Bono and Bill and Melinda Gates. They were named Time's 'People of the Year.' I was completely fascinated and enthralled. They're not the people of the year because they're a famous celebrity and the richest couple in the world. They're the people of the year because they are making a measurable and massive impact on world poverty and global health.

And they're not just throwing money at the problem.

They're throwing themselves, completely and wholeheartedly with a passion and intensity that I envy. Honestly, I would not be surprised if Bono were to say that he had been greeted by an angel who told him to "Be strong and courageous." His mission is righteous. God did not intend for there to be poor among us and he's out to prove that with his foundation called DATA.

Bill and Melinda Gates probably would've required some sort of official memo from God instructing them to "Be strong and courageous," but they rise to the challenge nonetheless. They go on 'learning tours' every year of some of the most impoverished places in the world so that they can assess how their foundation (soon to be endowed for almost $34 billion!) can best help the people there improve their lives.

The articles made my heart stir. And it wasn't because of guilt for once. I could never have the impact on the world that they are having. I don't have the money, celebrity or contacts that they do. Besides which, they're doing a pretty good job and I'd hate to muck that up! :oP

No, my heart stirred because I could almost feel the shift in the motivations of the world's rich. They've stopped throwing money at various problems in order to make themselves feel less guilty for being rich. Now they're pouring not only their money but their lives into issues that will actually change the condition of the world's most underpriviledged people.

That's encouraging to me because our culture is designed in such a way that where the powerful (or notorious) go, there go everyone else. If the powerful and notorious are finally getting their heads out of their arses and looking to the world beyond their million-dollar homes, then maybe the rest of us will follow suit and stop being so self-absorbed.

I think God's calling us all to "Be strong and courageous" within the tasks he has given us. He's got our back and he will use us to bring him glory, whether or not we are rich or famous!